Quantitative ultrasound assessment of thermal damage in excised liver

Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) is a novel approach for characterizing tissue microstructure and changes in tissue microstructure due to therapy. In this report, we discuss changes in QUS parameters in liver tissues after being exposed to thermal insult. Effective scatterer diameter (ESD) and effective acoustic concentration (EAC) from the normalized backscattered power spectrum were examined in rat liver specimens heated in a degassed saline bath. Individual liver samples were bisected, with half of each sample heated to a therapeutic temperature of 60 °C for 10 minutes and the other half held at 37 °C. The ultrasonic backscatter and attenuation coefficient were then estimated at 37 °C from both halves. ESD was observed to decrease by an average of 34% in exposed compared to unexposed sample sections, EAC increased by 18 dB, and the attenuation coefficient increased by 70%. Histological slides from these samples indicate cell size and/or concentration may be affected by heating. This work was supported by NIH R01-EB008992.