Human lymph node microvascular imaging using a fast contrast-free super-resolution ultrasound technique
Abstract Lymph nodes play a crucial role in cancer metastasis, and assessing lymph node involvement is essential for patient prognosis and treatment strategies. Super-resolution ultrasound imaging (SRUS), including ultrasound localization microscopy (ULM), has shown promise in visualizing the lymph...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-07-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-08483-4 |
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| author | Mostafa Amin Naji Nathalie Sarup Panduro Seyed Mohammad Mahdi Tabatabaei Majd Lauge Naur Hansen Iman Taghavi Amy McDermott Carsten Gundlach Borislav Gueorguiev Tomov Michael Bachmann Nielsen Charlotte Mehlin Sørensen Jørgen Arendt Jensen |
| author_facet | Mostafa Amin Naji Nathalie Sarup Panduro Seyed Mohammad Mahdi Tabatabaei Majd Lauge Naur Hansen Iman Taghavi Amy McDermott Carsten Gundlach Borislav Gueorguiev Tomov Michael Bachmann Nielsen Charlotte Mehlin Sørensen Jørgen Arendt Jensen |
| author_sort | Mostafa Amin Naji |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Lymph nodes play a crucial role in cancer metastasis, and assessing lymph node involvement is essential for patient prognosis and treatment strategies. Super-resolution ultrasound imaging (SRUS), including ultrasound localization microscopy (ULM), has shown promise in visualizing the lymph node microvasculature, however, ULM requires microbubbles injection, monitoring, and long acquisition times. This study investigates the feasibility of using a fast contrast-free SRUS approach based on erythrocytes (SURE) to visualize and quantify the microvasculature in human lymph nodes. The SURE pipeline detects and tracks erythrocyte scatterer peaks to generate high-resolution microvascular images with a resolution of less than half the wavelength in 2 seconds of data acquisition. SURE visualized the microvasculature, flow direction, and velocity in four normal human lymph nodes, detecting vessels as small as 40 $$\mu$$ m in diameter and blood flow velocities ranging from 2 to 15 mm/s. The time evolution of SURE images from 0.1 to 10 seconds was demonstrated, and the SURE consistency was validated by processing SURE images of the same lymph node acquired at different time points. The SURE approach offers a fast contrast-free method for assessing human lymph node microvascular characteristics, providing a promising tool for lymph node evaluation in clinical settings. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-37889f4db10b409c852c64925fc942f0 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-37889f4db10b409c852c64925fc942f02025-08-20T03:37:22ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-07-0115111310.1038/s41598-025-08483-4Human lymph node microvascular imaging using a fast contrast-free super-resolution ultrasound techniqueMostafa Amin Naji0Nathalie Sarup Panduro1Seyed Mohammad Mahdi Tabatabaei Majd2Lauge Naur Hansen3Iman Taghavi4Amy McDermott5Carsten Gundlach6Borislav Gueorguiev Tomov7Michael Bachmann Nielsen8Charlotte Mehlin Sørensen9Jørgen Arendt Jensen10Department of Health Technology, Technical University of DenmarkDepartment of Diagnostic Radiology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University HospitalDepartment of Health Technology, Technical University of DenmarkDepartment of Health Technology, Technical University of DenmarkDepartment of Health Technology, Technical University of DenmarkDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, University of CopenhagenDepartment of Physics, Technical University of DenmarkDepartment of Health Technology, Technical University of DenmarkDepartment of Diagnostic Radiology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University HospitalDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, University of CopenhagenDepartment of Health Technology, Technical University of DenmarkAbstract Lymph nodes play a crucial role in cancer metastasis, and assessing lymph node involvement is essential for patient prognosis and treatment strategies. Super-resolution ultrasound imaging (SRUS), including ultrasound localization microscopy (ULM), has shown promise in visualizing the lymph node microvasculature, however, ULM requires microbubbles injection, monitoring, and long acquisition times. This study investigates the feasibility of using a fast contrast-free SRUS approach based on erythrocytes (SURE) to visualize and quantify the microvasculature in human lymph nodes. The SURE pipeline detects and tracks erythrocyte scatterer peaks to generate high-resolution microvascular images with a resolution of less than half the wavelength in 2 seconds of data acquisition. SURE visualized the microvasculature, flow direction, and velocity in four normal human lymph nodes, detecting vessels as small as 40 $$\mu$$ m in diameter and blood flow velocities ranging from 2 to 15 mm/s. The time evolution of SURE images from 0.1 to 10 seconds was demonstrated, and the SURE consistency was validated by processing SURE images of the same lymph node acquired at different time points. The SURE approach offers a fast contrast-free method for assessing human lymph node microvascular characteristics, providing a promising tool for lymph node evaluation in clinical settings.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-08483-4Human lymph nodeMicrovascular imagingSuper-resolution ultrasound imagingBlood flow velocity |
| spellingShingle | Mostafa Amin Naji Nathalie Sarup Panduro Seyed Mohammad Mahdi Tabatabaei Majd Lauge Naur Hansen Iman Taghavi Amy McDermott Carsten Gundlach Borislav Gueorguiev Tomov Michael Bachmann Nielsen Charlotte Mehlin Sørensen Jørgen Arendt Jensen Human lymph node microvascular imaging using a fast contrast-free super-resolution ultrasound technique Scientific Reports Human lymph node Microvascular imaging Super-resolution ultrasound imaging Blood flow velocity |
| title | Human lymph node microvascular imaging using a fast contrast-free super-resolution ultrasound technique |
| title_full | Human lymph node microvascular imaging using a fast contrast-free super-resolution ultrasound technique |
| title_fullStr | Human lymph node microvascular imaging using a fast contrast-free super-resolution ultrasound technique |
| title_full_unstemmed | Human lymph node microvascular imaging using a fast contrast-free super-resolution ultrasound technique |
| title_short | Human lymph node microvascular imaging using a fast contrast-free super-resolution ultrasound technique |
| title_sort | human lymph node microvascular imaging using a fast contrast free super resolution ultrasound technique |
| topic | Human lymph node Microvascular imaging Super-resolution ultrasound imaging Blood flow velocity |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-08483-4 |
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