Open-chest cardiac ultrasound-mediated imaging with a vacuum coupler.

ABSTRACT:

Background

A fundamental obstacle for the preclinical development of ultrasound-(US) mediated cardiac imaging remains cardiac motion, which limits interframe correlation during extended acquisition periods.

Purpose

To address this need, we present the design and implementation of a 3D-printed vacuum coupler that stabilizes a US transducer on the epicardial surface of the heart for feasibility assessment and development of advanced, cardiac, US-mediated imaging approaches.

Methods

The vacuum coupler was 3D printed with biocompatible resins and secured with a standard intraoperative suction aspirator. US-mediated imaging (i.e., B-mode and photoacoustic [PA] imaging) was performed in an open-chest porcine model with and without the vacuum coupler. Based on inter-frame di

SUBMITTER: Mathuria N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11788239 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature