2010-issue02

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EFSUMB Newsletter

EFSUMB Newsletter European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology

EUROSON 2009 Edinburgh UK

Young Investigator’s Award was presented jointly to Esther Leung (The Netherlands) and Moritz Palmowski (Germany) Esther Leung Curriculum Vitae ▼▼

Esther Leung was born in 1981 in Hong Kong. She received her M.Sc. degree in Applied Physics with honours from the Delft University of Technology in 2005. The subject of her master thesis was motion compensation for intravascular ultrasound strain imaging. Recently, she received her Ph.D. degree with honours. This research, performed at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, resulted in the thesis “automated analysis of 3D stress echocardiography”. Her research interests include medical ultrasound, image processing, and clinical applications development.

Abstract

▼▼ Automated analysis of three-dimensional stress echocardiography

K.Y.E. Leung, M. van Stralen, M. Danilouchkine, N. de Jong, A.F.W. van der Steen, J.G. Bosch,Biomedical Engineering, Thoraxcenter, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands Stress echocardiography evaluates cardiac function by comparing the left ventricular (LV) motion in images taken in rest and stress stages (i.e. elevated cardiac workload). Recently, real-time 3D imaging has been proposed for this technique. To support manual analysis, which is subjective and tedious, we propose automated methods for 3D stress echo.

EUROSON 2010 – Welcome to Wonderful Copenhagen Updated scientific programme and details on symposias are now available at the congress website www.euroson2010. org. Online registration and hotel booking is open.

Important dates:

▶▶Congress: 22–25 August 2010 ▶▶Deadline for Abstract Submission: 1 May 2010 ▶▶Deadline for the Low Registration Fee: 1 June 2010

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Young Investigators EUROSON 2009 Edinburgh UK Back row, left to right: Julien Stirnemann (France) Moritz Palmowski (Germany); Front row, left to right: Erik Andreas Torkildsen (Norway) Veronica Salvatore (Italy) Eleanor Martin (UK) and Esther Leung (The Netherlands)

The methods employ statistical modeling, which describes typical structural and functional variability in many patients, thus capturing the expert manual analysis. Such models are used to extract important anatomical views in rest images.

The corresponding views in stress are then found via automatic alignment. This provides in many cases better (18 %) or equivalent (75 %) results to manual analysis. To measure cardiac motion, models are used to extract the LV borders in enddiastole. Low surface errors (2.9±1.0 mm) and good volume regression (R=0.93, -1.5±18.6 ml) are found. The LV borders throughout the cardiac cycle are then obtained via tracking, guided by cardiac motion models (surface errors: 1.2±0.5 mm, volume errors: 1.4±6.7 ml). Using motion

EFSUMB Lynne Rudd 36 Portland Place, London W1B 1LS, United Kingdom Tel.: +44 (0) 20 7099 7140 Fax: +44 (0) 20 7436 7934 Email: efsumb@efsumb.org

EFSUMB Newsletter models, motion abnormalities can be detected accurately (77–91 %). With our own software for 3D stress echo, we show that better interobserver agreement is achieved (96 %) than with commercially available software (79 %). In conclusion, automated analysis of 3D stress echo is highly promising, allowing objective and quantitative assessment of cardiac function.

Moritz Palmowski Curriculum Vitae ▼▼

Moritz Palmowski, MD was born in 1977 in Heidelberg, Germany, and attended Medical School at Heidelberg University.

He completed his PostDoc at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg, Department of Medical Physics in Radiology (Prof. Semmler), Working Group „Molecular Imaging“ (Prof. Kiessling) and is currently at the University of Aachen Habilitation („venia legendi“; P.D.). His awards include the DEGUM Research Award 2008, Best scientific paper presentation in the category “Molecular Imaging“, European Congress of Radiology 2008, Vienna, Travel Award 2007 – German Research Foundation (DFG), Travel Award 2006 – German Research Foundation and Rajewsky Scholarship 2006

Abstract

▼▼ Molecular Imaging with Ultrasound

The recent development of target-specific microbubbles has been the key which has opened up the door for a molecular imaging with ultrasound. These target-specific ultrasound contrast agents are retained within diseased blood vessels where they can be used to diagnose and further characterize a diseased tissue or support an image guided intervention (e.g. biopsy).

The specificity of targeted microbubbles is accomplished by a coating with specific ligands or antibodies against disease-associated molecular markers. Due to the fact that microbubbles cannot leave the intravascular space, the disease process must be characterized by molecular changes in the vascular compartment to be assessed.

This precondition is fulfilled for markers expressed during tumor-angiogenesis (e.g. VEGF-receptor type 2, övö3-Integrin) as well as for markers expressed during inflammation (e.g. ICAM-1, VCAM, E-selectine, P-selectine).

Today, target-specific ultrasound contrast agents used in the preclinical research predominantly utilize the streptavidinbiotin binding system to connect biotinylated antibodies to streptavidin-coated microbubbles. In a preclinical setting, this type of specific probe has shown convincing results in the diagnosis of experimental tumors and in the assessment of early treatment effects. Due to the potential immunogenicity of streptavidin, these

contrast agents are used in preclinical research only. However, clinically translatable ultrasound contrast will be introduced into the clinics soon where they are expected to be a promising tool in the diagnosis of such diseases as tumor-related angiogenesis, neuronal inflammatory processes, transplant rejection or atherosclerosis.

EUROSON 2009 Edinburgh UK

Poster Prizes were awarded to: First Prize ▼▼

ARFI-based tissue elasticity quantification in comparison to histology for the diagnosis of renal transplant fibrosis.

Stock KF1, Klein BS1, Vo Cong M1, Kuchle C1 Buttner M2, Schuster T3, Matevossian F4, Heemann U1. 1Abteilung fur Nephrologie, II. Medizinische Klinik, Klinikum rechts der Isar der TU Munchen, 2Pathologisches Institut der Universitat Erlangen, 3Institut fur Medizinische Statistik und Epidemiologie Klinikum rechts der Isar der TU Munchen, 4Chirurgische Klinik und Poliklinik, Klinikum rechts der Isar der TU Munchen

Second Prize ▼▼

ler-us vs low-MI CEUS compared with 64-slice-CTA and MRA. Cantisani V, Napoli A, Menichini G, Marotta E , Medvedieva E, Maldur V, Guerrisi I, Drudi FM, Ricci P, Policlinico Umberto I, Univ. Sapienza, Rome

Third Prize ▼▼

Strain ratio – a tool for quantification of elastograms in vitro.

Havre RF¹, Waage JE², Odegaard S³, Gilja OH³, Nesje LB³. ¹Institute of Medicine, ²University of Bergen, ³Surgical Department, HUS, Institute of Medicine, UoB, Medical Dept., HUS

Multimodality evaluation of consecutive patients with abdominal aneurysm treated with endovascular graft: color-Dopp-

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EFSUMB Newsletter

EFSUMB Newsletter meets Israel Population: 7,026,000 Area: 20,770 km² Capital: Jerusalem EFSUMB members: 131 Interview by Professor Michael Bachmann Nielsen February 2010

Diana Gaitini

The Israel Society in General Ultrasound – ISDUM “The Society, which was founded 28 years ago by the three local pioneers in ultrasound with the collaboration of Prof Barry Goldberg, is part of the Israel Radiological Society. We don‘t have a newsletter, and all our announcements and communications are sent through the Israel Medical Association.

Diana Gaitini was elected President of the Israel Ultrasound Society in 2001 and re­ elected in 2009. She became involved in Ultrasound more than 20 years ago, shortly after becoming a senior radiologist in the Department of Medical Imaging at Rambam Medical Center. Diana trained in ultrasound in this Department and at fellowships in France and USA. Since 1997, she is the Director of the Ultrasound Unit and has an academic appointment as Associate Clinical Professor at the Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa. “General ultrasound is a part of the Imaging Departments (Radiology). Echocardiology and Obstetrics/gynaecology ultrasound are part of the respective Departments. Specialists in radiology, cardiology and gynaecology are allowed to perform and report ultrasound examinations, according to the Ministry of Health directives.

Due to an increasing demand of ultrasound in every field of medicine, some exams are nowadays performed by other specialists, like orthopaedics and vascular surgeons, where radiologists are unable to cover all the fields, but it‘s still a small proportion of the workload.”

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We are in the website of the Israel Radiological Society and publish announcements of our activities and web site addresses dealing with Ultrasound in this site.”

Training in ultrasound in Israel ▼▼

As general ultrasound is a part of Radiology, it is included in the residence syllabus.

Every resident in radiology is trained in ultrasound during the 5 years period of the residence and has to pass examination boards, the first written and the last oral, on ultrasound, like in every other field of radiology.

“Our Society organizes an annual conference and short one-day courses in between on several topics, developed by local and foreign invited speakers. We don‘t differentiate into levels of competences and we don‘t offer courses for non-radiologists.”

National Meetings in Israel ▼▼

“Every year we hold a conference of the Ultrasound Society. The annual conference of the Radiology Society also includes presentations on ultrasound.

Haifa

A lecturer from North America, Canada or Europe is invited at every meeting and delivers the opening lecture which is on the name of Barry Goldberg and about four more lectures on specific topics, like Pediatric Ultrasound, Vascular Ultrasound, Interventional Ultrasound and so on. Our last conference was held in Tel Aviv and our invited lecturer was Dr Rick Field from Philadelphia, who spoke mostly on Interventional Ultrasound. Some of the previous speakers were Carlo Martinoli, Deborah Rubens and Vikram Dogra.”

Membership ▼▼

Both radiologists and sonographers take part in the conferences and courses, but only doctors are members of the Society.

There are currently about 120 members.

ISDUM and EFSUMB ▼▼

“We are proud to be member of EFSUMB, with the same rights as the European Societies. We participate every year at the General Assembly of EFSUMB and present lectures in the meeting.”

The 7th EUROSON was held in Jerusalem in 1990. “We are willing to hold the Annual EUROSON Congress of EFSUMB in Israel in the near future. We are convinced that the country has many interesting historical and tourist sites to offer and our Society may share the efforts with the Radiological Society to organize a meeting which will certainly meet the standards required by EFSUMB. And the weather is much warmer…”