High frequency ultrasound imaging

The Vevo family of high-frequency ultrasound products enables the researcher to obtain in vivo anatomical, functional, physiological and molecular data simultaneously, in real-time and with a resolution down to 30 µm. The system is easy to use, non-invasive and fast, providing extremely high throughput when needed. 

Ultrasound imaging is a well-established and validated technology that has been used clinically for many decades to visualize internal organs, soft tissues, tendons, joints and vasculature. VisualSonics has perfected the use of ultrasound in pre-clinical small animal research by creating high-frequency transducers that offers superior high resolution. Today, innovative linear array technology is utilized in the MicroScan series of transducers. These array transducers offer frequencies from 9 to 70 MHz, making them ideal for “micro” ultrasound imaging of microtargets at depths of 3 cm and frame rates up to 10,000 frames per second. The Vevo Family has been a critical imaging tool in many fields of research and resulted in over 800 publications in the last ten years.

How does it work?

A handheld transducer with a linear array of piezoelectric elements is used to produce acoustic pulses above 20kHz that deliver sound waves into the animal’s body. Diverse tissues, organs and disease lesions absorb and reflect sound waves differently depending on their density. High-resolution grayscale images are produced when the partially reflected sound waves return to the transducer. The resulting image is viewable instantly and can be captured as a still photograph or movie. 

Although B-Mode, which displays a two dimensional cross-section of tissue, is the most common imaging mode with ultrasound, other image types can also be produced: blood flow, localization and direction; vascularity; tissue motion over time; presence of molecules and biomarkers; anatomy and size of a 3D region; tissue stiffness and cardiac strain.