US technology images blood flow to breast, kidney tissue

Dec 2, 2003

California start-up Sensant of San Leandro unveiled clinical images of micro-vessel blood flow inside breast and kidney tissue at this year’s RSNA show. The images were generated with Sensant’s new ultrasound probe technology, Silicon Ultrasound, which uses silicon-based transducers rather than conventional piezoelectric, crystal-based probes, along with the SonoVue ultrasound contrast agent from Esaote of Genoa, Italy. Silicon Ultrasound technology is based on work performed at Stanford University on capacitive microfabricated ultrasonic transducers (cMUTs).

The images were taken by doctors at Valduce Hospital in Como, Italy, and illuminate blood flow in capillary vessels that feed breast tumors. The company also displayed ultrasound images from an animal study that show blood flow in kidney tissue.

Contrast-enhanced MRI and ultrasound research indicates that vessels associated with malignant tumors are disordered and tangled, while vessels in benign tissue appear regular and organized. Because Sensant’s Silicon Ultrasound sensors have a broader frequency response than conventional ultrasound technology, the device detects contrast agent with improved resolution and produces images of blood flow, according to the company. Sensant hopes that the additional blood flow imaging data will help physicians distinguish benign from cancerous masses.

Sensant gets NSF grant, August 12, 2003

Sensant launches new transducer technology, June 3, 2003