Multimodal Ultrasound Imaging for Atherosclerotic Plaque Characterization

Kang Kim, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Biomedical Engineering
University of Pittsburgh

Abstract:  Vulnerable or rupture-prone atherosclerotic plaques are typically characterized by a large lipid-rich necrotic core and (micro-) calcified lesions surrounded by a thin fibrous cap and the proliferation and infiltration of vasa vasorum as well as active inflammation. Identification of these potentially fatal plaques before their disruption is critical in clinics and will help predict vascular risk and guide therapies. In this talk, I will introduce novel, noninvasive ultrasound imaging technologies that provide mechanical and compositional tissue characterization as well as identify vasa vasorum at high resolution and sensitivity. Ultrasound elasticity imaging (UEI) based on a novel speckle tracking estimates mechanical strain developed inside a blood vessel wall. Ultrasound-induced thermal strain imaging (US-TSI) enhances contrast between water and lipid-bearing tissue by measuring thermal (temporal) strain immediately after a focused ultrasound-induced temperature change of ~1○C with 0.1% strain sensitivity. Finally, a recent development of ultrasound super-resolution ultrasound (USR) imaging can achieve unprecedented high-spatial resolution beyond acoustic diffraction limit, which allows identifying vasa vasorum in great detail. Benchtop and in vivo validation of these technologies will be presented and discussed.

Bio:  Kang Kim, PhD is an Associate Professor of Bioengineering and Medicine at The University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Kim directs the Multi-modality Biomedical Ultrasound Imaging Laboratory http://www.pitt.edu/~kangkim at the Center for Ultrasound Molecular Imaging and Therapeutics http://www.imagingtherapeutics.pitt.edu – home to research projects focused on basic science, pre-clinical studies and clinical translation of medical instrumentation, signal/image processing algorithms, and imaging contrast/therapeutic agents. Dr. Kim’s research seeks to develop and translate state-of-the-art noninvasive ultrasound imaging technologies to (1) improve disease diagnosis (2) guide therapeutic strategies and (3) evaluate therapeutic efficacy, especially in cardiovascular applications. His research emphasis is on development and application of multi-modality imaging systems that are based on a fundamental understanding of how sound and light interact with soft tissues, and are capable of characterizing the structural, mechanical, compositional properties of tissues and organs and their underlying biological activities. Dr. Kim earned his Bachelor’s in Educational Physics at Seoul National University in Seoul, South Korea. He then went to the University of Pierre & Marie Curie (Paris 6) in Paris, France for his Master’s in Physics before he moved to the United States for his PhD in Acoustics at the Pennsylvania State University. He then won a postdoctoral fellowship in Biomedical Engineering Department at the University of Michigan.