Towards Ultra-low Framerate Ultrasound Localization Microscopy on Human Brain with Artificial Intelligence

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This preprint studies Ultrasound Localization Microscopy (ULM) for in vivo microvasculature imaging under low and ultra-low ultrasound frame rates, aiming to overcome clinical hardware and field-of-view limitations of conventional high-rate ULM. Using systematic evaluation of how low (~40 Hz) and ultra-low (~10 Hz) frame rate contrast-enhanced ultrasound videos affect existing open-source ULM algorithms, the authors developed Low Framerate Ultrasound Localization Microscopy (LFRULM), an AI-enhanced framework with deep neural network modules for microbubble localization, linking, and trajectory accumulation. They report that conventional algorithms produce artifacts, incomplete vascular reconstructions, and reduced spatial fidelity under low frame rate conditions, whereas LFRULM yields clearer, more comprehensive vascular images with improved spatial resolution and more reliable quantitative measures despite temporal undersampling and background noise. A major caveat stated is that this work is a Research Square preprint that has not been peer reviewed. The paper does not explicitly discuss endometriosis or adenomyosis; it was included in the corpus via a keyword match in the upstream search index.

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Abstract

Abstract Ultrasound Localization Microscopy (ULM) has emerged as a promising technique for in-vivo imaging of microvasculature. Conventional ULM relies on ultrasound acquisitions with high (typically>500 Hz) or ultra-high (~ 20,000Hz) frame rates, which are technically challenging in routine clinical settings due to hardware limitations and restricted fields of view. This study aims to enable broader clinical use by developing a ULM framework that operates effectively on low (∼ 40 Hz) and ultra-low (∼ 10 Hz) frame rate CEUS videos. By systematically evaluating the effects of low and ultra-low frame rate clinical ultrasound videos on existing open-source ULM algorithms, we developed Low Framerate Ultrasound Localization Microscopy (LFRULM), which is an AI-enhanced ULM framework tailored for real-world clinical applications. LFRULM incorporates deep neural network modules to improve all three core components of conventional ULM pipelines: microbubble localization, microbubble linking, and trajectory accumulation. Our results demonstrate that conventional ULM algorithms perform suboptimally under low frame rate conditions, with notable artifacts, incomplete vascular reconstructions, and reduced spatial fidelity. In contrast, LFRULM exhibits superior robustness to temporal undersampling and background noise, producing clearer and more comprehensive vascular images with improved spatial resolution, reduced artifacts, and reliable quantitative measurements of cerebral microvascular dynamics.
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Towards Ultra-low Framerate Ultrasound Localization Microscopy on Human Brain with Artificial Intelligence | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Biological Sciences - Article Towards Ultra-low Framerate Ultrasound Localization Microscopy on Human Brain with Artificial Intelligence Xinyang Jiang, Chuanyu Zhong, Weixun Wan, Zefan Qu, Zilong Wang, and 11 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6936682/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Ultrasound Localization Microscopy (ULM) has emerged as a promising technique for in-vivo imaging of microvasculature. Conventional ULM relies on ultrasound acquisitions with high (typically>500 Hz) or ultra-high (~ 20,000Hz) frame rates, which are technically challenging in routine clinical settings due to hardware limitations and restricted fields of view. This study aims to enable broader clinical use by developing a ULM framework that operates effectively on low (∼ 40 Hz) and ultra-low (∼ 10 Hz) frame rate CEUS videos. By systematically evaluating the effects of low and ultra-low frame rate clinical ultrasound videos on existing open-source ULM algorithms, we developed Low Framerate Ultrasound Localization Microscopy (LFRULM), which is an AI-enhanced ULM framework tailored for real-world clinical applications. LFRULM incorporates deep neural network modules to improve all three core components of conventional ULM pipelines: microbubble localization, microbubble linking, and trajectory accumulation. Our results demonstrate that conventional ULM algorithms perform suboptimally under low frame rate conditions, with notable artifacts, incomplete vascular reconstructions, and reduced spatial fidelity. In contrast, LFRULM exhibits superior robustness to temporal undersampling and background noise, producing clearer and more comprehensive vascular images with improved spatial resolution, reduced artifacts, and reliable quantitative measurements of cerebral microvascular dynamics. Biological sciences/Biological techniques/Imaging/Ultrasound Health sciences/Medical research/Translational research Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. 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