| 1. |
- Albinsson, John, et al.
(författare)
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A combination of parabolic and grid slope interpolation for 2D tissue displacement estimations
- 2017
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Ingår i: Medical & Biological Engineering & Computing. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0140-0118 .- 1741-0444. ; 55:8, s. 1327-1338
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Parabolic sub-sample interpolation for 2D block-matching motion estimation is computationally efficient. However, it is well known that the parabolic interpolation gives a biased motion estimate for displacements greater than |y.2| samples (y = 0, 1, …). Grid slope sub-sample interpolation is less biased, but it shows large variability for displacements close to y.0. We therefore propose to combine these sub-sample methods into one method (GS15PI) using a threshold to determine when to use which method. The proposed method was evaluated on simulated, phantom, and in vivo ultrasound cine loops and was compared to three sub-sample interpolation methods. On average, GS15PI reduced the absolute sub-sample estimation errors in the simulated and phantom cine loops by 14, 8, and 24% compared to sub-sample interpolation of the image, parabolic sub-sample interpolation, and grid slope sub-sample interpolation, respectively. The limited in vivo evaluation of estimations of the longitudinal movement of the common carotid artery using parabolic and grid slope sub-sample interpolation and GS15PI resulted in coefficient of variation (CV) values of 6.9, 7.5, and 6.8%, respectively. The proposed method is computationally efficient and has low bias and variance. The method is another step toward a fast and reliable method for clinical investigations of longitudinal movement of the arterial wall.
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| 2. |
- Albinsson, John
(författare)
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Advancements of 2D speckle tracking of arterial wall movements
- 2017. - First
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide. In order to improve the diagnostics and facilitate early interventions of cardiovascular diseases, knowledge about the physiology of the vascular system in both healthy subjects and in subjects with vascular disease is needed. In order to learn more about the physiology of the vascular system and possibly predict cardiovascular diseases, accurate motion estimations of the arterial wall is needed. It has been the aim of this thesis to develop more robust motion estimation methods for use on cine loops to investigate the entire thickness of the arterial wall.In this thesis, the concept of 2D speckle block matching was expanded with the use of an extra kernel for improved robustness and tracking accuracy. It was shown that the use of an extra kernel reduced the motion estimation errors when using a constant kernel size (in silico and on phantoms), or reduced the needed size of the kernel while maintaining the level of motion estimation errors (in vivo). Further, a sub-sample estimation method has been developed which combines two previously presented methods: parabolic and grid slope sub-sample interpolation. It was found that by combining the two methods with a threshold determining which method to use, the proposed method reduced the absolute sub-sample estimation errors in simulated and phantom cine loops. A limited in vivo evaluation of estimations of the longitudinal movement of the common carotid artery using parabolic and grid slope sub-sample interpolation and the proposed method were conducted showing that the method worked well in vivo.The two methods were combined to estimate the longitudinal wall movement of the right common carotid artery on 135 healthy volunteers for improved understanding of the wall movements. The results show that the pronounced variation in patterns of longitudinal movement of the common carotid artery previously shown in young healthy subjects is also present in middle-aged and older healthy subjects. However, the patterns of movement seen in middle-aged and older subjects are different from those commonly seen in young subjects, including the appearance of two additional distinct phases of movement, and thus new complex patterns of movement.The use of ultrasound sampled at a high frame rate has the potential to visualize previously unknown information of the longitudinal movement. An iterative scheme for Lagrangian motion estimations in cine loops collected at high frame rates was developed. A phantom evaluation using ultrasound cine loops showed a reduction by an average 54% in the estimated velocity errors compared to a standard method. It also showed a reduction by an average 73 % in the estimated displacement errors. A feasibility test of tracking in vivo indicated good agreement with motion estimations using a low frame rate cine loop.This thesis thus present and evaluate refined methods to measure vascular function through the estimation of longitudinal movement.
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| 3. |
- Albinsson, John, et al.
(författare)
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Combined use of Iteration, Quadratic Interpolation and an Extra Kernel for high-resolution 2D particle tracking : a first evaluation
- 2010
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Ingår i: 2010 ieee international ultrasonics symposium. - New York : IEEE Press. - 9781457703829 ; , s. 2000-2003
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- A novel 2D particle tracking method, that uses 1) iteration, 2) fast quadratic sub-pixel estimation (with only 28 multiplications per movement), and 3) a previous kernel, has been evaluated and compared with a full-search block-matching method. The comparison with high-frequency ultrasound data (40 MHz) was conducted in silico and on phantoms, which comprised lateral, diagonal, and ellipsoidal movement patterns with speeds of 0–15 mm/s. The mean tracking error was reduced by 68% in silico and 71% for the phantom measurements. When only sub-pixel estimation was used, the decrease in the tracking error was 61% in silico and 57% for the phantom measurements. As well as decreasing the tracking error, the new method only used 70% of the computational time needed by the full-search block-matching method. With a fast method having good tracking ability for high-frequency ultrasound data, we now have a tool to better investigate tissue movements and its dynamic functionality.
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| 4. |
- Albinsson, John, et al.
(författare)
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Improved tracking performance of lagrangian block-matching methodologies using block expansion in the time domain : In silico, phantom and invivo evaluations
- 2014
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Ingår i: Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology. - : Elsevier. - 0301-5629 .- 1879-291X. ; 40:10, s. 2508-2520
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of this study was to evaluate tracking performance when an extra reference block is added to a basic block-matching method, where the two reference blocks originate from two consecutive ultrasound frames. The use of an extra reference block was evaluated for two putative benefits: (i) an increase in tracking performance while maintaining the size of the reference blocks, evaluated using in silico and phantom cine loops; (ii) a reduction in the size of the reference blocks while maintaining the tracking performance, evaluated using in vivo cine loops of the common carotid artery where the longitudinal movement of the wall was estimated. The results indicated that tracking accuracy improved (mean - 48%, p<0.005 [in silico]; mean - 43%, p<0.01 [phantom]), and there was a reduction in size of the reference blocks while maintaining tracking performance (mean - 19%, p<0.01 [in vivo]). This novel method will facilitate further exploration of the longitudinal movement of the arterial wall. (C) 2014 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology.
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| 5. |
- Albinsson, John, et al.
(författare)
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Iterative 2D tissue motion tracking in ultrafast ultrasound imaging
- 2018
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Ingår i: Applied Sciences (Switzerland). - : MDPI AG. - 2076-3417. ; 8:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In order to study longitudinal movement and intramural shearing of the arterial wall with a Lagrangian viewpoint using ultrafast ultrasound imaging, a new tracking scheme is required. We propose the use of an iterative tracking scheme based on temporary down-sampling of the frame-rate, anteroposterior tracking, and unbiased block-matching using two kernels per position estimate. The tracking scheme was evaluated on phantom B-mode cine loops and considered both velocity and displacement for a range of down-sampling factors (k = 1-128) at the start of the iterations. The cine loops had a frame rate of 1300-1500 Hz and were beamformed using delay-and-sum. The evaluation on phantom showed that both the mean estimation errors and the standard deviations decreased with an increasing initial down-sampling factor, while they increased with an increased velocity or larger pitch. A limited in vivo study shows that the major pattern of movement corresponds well with state-of-the-art low frame rate motion estimates, indicating that the proposed tracking scheme could enable the study of longitudinal movement of the intima-media complex using ultrafast ultrasound imaging, and is one step towards estimating the propagation velocity of the longitudinal movement of the arterial wall.
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| 6. |
- Albinsson, John, et al.
(författare)
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Tracking Performance of Several Combinations of Common Evaluation Metrics and Sub-pixel Methods
- 2015
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Ingår i: 16th Nordic-Baltic Conference on Biomedical Engineering. - Cham : Springer International Publishing. - 1680-0737. ; 48, s. 13-16, s. 13-16
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Motion estimation in a series of consecutive images is used in a variety of areas, e.g. video compression and investigation of tissue characteristics and organ function in medical images. Several methods exist both for estimating motions on a pixel level, e.g. block-matching in which two blocks in consecutive images are compared by an evaluation metric, and on a sub-pixel level. In this paper, we have evaluated the tracking performance of all combinations between three evaluation metrics and eight sub-pixel estimation methods. The tracking performance of a sub-pixel method varies depending on the evaluation metric used. This indicates that a reported tracking performance for a sub-pixel estimation method can be significantly different when combined with another evaluation metric. Also there is a large variation in the time needed for the motion estimations depending primarily on the sub-pixel method used but also on the evaluation metric.
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| 7. |
- Berggren, Johanna, et al.
(författare)
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Forehead flap perfusion monitored by laser speckle contrast imaging – importance of flap length and thickness
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Ingår i: JPRAS Open. - 2352-5878.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: Forehead flaps are commonly used in oculoplastic surgery to cover defects after tumor excision. Blood perfusion is vital for flap survival. The aim of this study was to monitor the perfusion in forehead flaps and investigate the impact of flap length and thickness. Methods: Nineteen forehead flaps in patients undergoing direct brow lift were studied. Perfusion was monitored using laser speckle contrast imaging, immediately after raising flaps consisting of epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous tissue, and after removing the subcutaneous tissue resulting in a thin flap. Results: Perfusion decreased gradually along the length; the mean value being 44% at 5 mm and 26% at 15 mm from the base, in thick flaps. Perfusion was significantly lower in thin flaps, being 13% measured 15 mm from the flap base (p<0.0024). Perfusion was better preserved in thick than in thin flaps. Very low perfusion was observed 16.7 mm (16.0-17.3 mm) from the base in thick flaps, and from 10.2 mm (9.8-10.6 mm) from the base in thin flaps (p<0.0001).Conclusions: Flap thickness is important in maintaining adequate blood perfusion and thus increasing the probability of flap survival. This may be particularly important in long flaps and in patients with impaired microcirculation.
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| 8. |
- Berggren, Johanna, et al.
(författare)
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Revascularization After H-plasty Reconstructive Surgery in the Periorbital Region Monitored With Laser Speckle Contrast Imaging
- 2021
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Ingår i: Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. - 1537-2677. ; 37:3, s. 269-273
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: H-plasty reconstructive surgery is commonly used to close defects after tumor excision in the periorbital region. Revascularization of the bipedicle skin flaps is essential for healing. However, it has not previously been possible to study this revascularization in humans due to the lack of noninvasive perfusion monitoring techniques. The aim was to monitor perfusion in H-plasty flaps during surgery and during postoperative follow-up, using laser speckle contrast imaging.METHOD: H-plasty, i.e., bipedicle random advancement skin flaps, was used for reconstruction of the eyelids after tumor removal in 7 patients. The median length and width of the skin flaps were 13 mm (range, 8-20 mm) and 10 mm (range, 5-11 mm), respectively. Blood perfusion was measured using laser speckle contrast imaging during surgery and at follow up 1, 3, and 6 weeks postoperatively, to monitor revascularization.RESULTS: Immediately postoperatively, the perfusion in the distal end of the flaps had fallen to 54% (95% CI, 38%-67%). The perfusion then quickly increased during the healing process, being 104% (86%-124%) after 1 week, 115% (94%-129%) after 3 weeks, and 112% (96%-137%) after 6 weeks. There was no clinically observable ischemia or tissue necrosis.CONCLUSIONS: Revascularization of the H-plasty procedure flaps occurs quickly, within a week postoperatively, presumably due to the existing vascular network of the flap pedicle, and was not dependent on significant angiogenesis. This perfusion study confirms the general opinion that H-plasty is a good reconstructive technique, especially in the periorbital region with its rich vascular supply.
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| 9. |
- Berggren, Johanna V, et al.
(författare)
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Blood Perfusion of Human Upper Eyelid Skin Flaps Is Better in Myocutaneous than in Cutaneous Flaps
- 2022
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Ingår i: Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. - 1537-2677. ; 38:2, s. 166-169
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to monitor blood perfusion in human upper eyelid skin flaps and examine how the perfusion is affected by the thickness of the flap.METHODS: Twenty upper eyelids were dissected as part of a blepharoplasty procedure in patients. The medial end of the blepharoplasty flap remained attached to mimic a flap design often used in reconstruction in the periocular area, a myocutaneous flap in which the blood supply follows the fibers of the orbicularis muscle and is thus parallel to the long axis of the flap. The muscle was thereafter dissected from the flap to create a cutaneous flap. Blood perfusion in the 2 types of flaps was compared using laser speckle contrast imaging.RESULTS: Blood perfusion decreased gradually from the base to the tip of all the flaps. Perfusion was significantly higher in the myocutaneous flaps than in the cutaneous flaps (p < 0.0004): 69% in the myocutaneous flaps and 43% in the cutaneous flaps, measured 5 mm from the base. Blood perfusion was preserved to a greater extent distally in the myocutaneous flaps (minimum value seen at 25 mm) than in the cutaneous flaps (minimum seen at 11 mm).CONCLUSIONS: Blood perfusion was better preserved in myocutaneous flaps, including both skin and the orbicularis oculi muscle, than in cutaneous flaps. This may be of clinical interest in patients with poor microcirculation in which a long flap is required for reconstructive surgery.
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| 10. |
- Bohman, Elin, et al.
(författare)
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Novel Evidence Concerning Lacrimal Sac Movement Using Ultra-High-Frequency Ultrasound Examinations of Lacrimal Drainage Systems
- 2021
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Ingår i: Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. - 1537-2677. ; 37:4, s. 334-340
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- PURPOSE: Current hypothesis regarding the mechanism of active tear drainage is based on studies performed ex vivo or under nonphysiological conditions. Novel ultra-high-frequency ultrasound has the advantage of generating images with superior resolution, enabling measurements of low flow in small vessels, and the tracking of tissue motion in real time. The purpose of this study was to investigate the lacrimal drainage system and active drainage using this modality.METHODS: The upper lacrimal drainage system was investigated with 40-70 MHz ultrasound in 22 eyes in 13 patients. Irrigation confirmed a lacrimal obstruction in 10 eyes. Motion tracking was used to map movement of the lateral lacrimal sac wall and to measure flow when possible.RESULTS: The anatomy of the upper lacrimal drainage system was mapped in vivo, including the proximal canaliculi, which have not previously been imaged. The lacrimal sac lumen is slit shaped in its resting state but is distended when irrigated or if a nasolacrimal duct obstruction is present. Thus, the healthy lacrimal sac is not a cavity, and the medial retinaculum does not act against a stretched structure. Motion tracking visualized the "lacrimal pump," showing that the direction of motion of the lateral lacrimal sac wall is mainly in the sagittal plane during blinking.CONCLUSIONS: Ultra-high-frequency ultrasound allows detailed physiological monitoring of the upper lacrimal drainage system in vivo. Our findings suggest that current theories of active tear drainage need to be reappraised.
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