Microbubbles are tiny bubbles, smaller than red blood cells, that can be injected into the bloodstream as a contrast agent for ultrasound diagnostics. This helps doctors to visualise the blood flow (or lack thereof) to organs, such as the heart and large blood vessels.
Previous research has shown that emitting two pulse trains of ultrasound can greatly reduce the amount of noise in the ultrasound image, but this method did not work for contrast bubbles or rapid blood flow.
Charlotte Nawijn developed a technique to transmit and analyse this pulse train more effectively, enabling its use for contrast ultrasound of rapid blood flow. Thanks to her new technique, the contrast of the ultrasound images is increased and the amount of noise is reduced, which greatly improves the image quality. This technique opens up completely new possibilities in the diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases.
Calculated breaks
This clever approach takes advantage of the ability to time the pulses separately. Nawijn developed a method that calculates the optimal timing between pulses to get the best result. Instead of a regular series of pulses, the new method calculates the different pauses between the pulses, ensuring they work together optimally to produce a better ultrasound signal. In addition, Nawijn was able to limit the emission pulse to a single pulse train, which now allows her to measure fast-moving flows, such as those in the aorta."Our technique allows for better images with higher precision and without slowing down the shooting speed," explains Nawijn. Tests showed this method reduced measurement errors by up to four times. This allows for a more precise image of blood flow, leading to better diagnoses for treating physicians.
Learn more
Charlotte Nawijn was a PhD candidate in the research group Physics of Fluids (PoF ; Faculty of Applied Sciences / TechMed Center ). She was supervised Michel Versluis, Dr. Guillaume Lajoinie and Tim Segers. Her public PhD on this research was on October 24, 2024. Her dissertation, entitled " Bubbles and Waves for Ultrasound Imaging and Therapy ", is available for download.Prospective students
Current students
Employees (Service Portal)
Alumni
Journalists
Employers
Contact People Pages: find employees
Careers
Library
Logo & visual identity
Webshop merchandise
Business space on campus Industrial doctoral degree places Support by Novel-T Submit internship/Find talent DesignLab
Contact People pages (UT phone directory) Press information Faculties/schools Research institutes
