(Daegu = News1) Reporter Lee Jae-choon: The Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) announced on the 18th that they have developed a method to significantly enhance the efficiency of Ultrasound Localization Microscopy (ULM). This advancement enables clear visualization of microvasculature with minimal data.
While ultrasound is commonly used in hospitals to observe the shape and movement of internal organs, it struggles to distinguish microvascular structures thinner than a hair.
To address this limitation, the ‘ULM’ technology was developed. It reconstructs microvascular structures in ultra-high resolution by meticulously tracking the movement of ultrasound contrast agents in the blood.
The research team, led by Professor Yoo Jae-seok from the Department of Robotics and Mechatronic Engineering and Professor Hyun Jeong-ho from the Department of Brain Sciences, developed the ‘ULM-Lite’ technique. It significantly reduces unnecessary data while retaining only the essential information from ultrasound signals.
This technique allows existing ultrasound equipment to be used without modification, reduces data volume by one-third, maintains image quality, and increases processing speed by approximately 30%.
Furthermore, it offers a non-invasive method to clearly visualize the entire brain without surgery or fluorescent substances, significantly enhancing the efficiency of brain research and disease diagnosis.
Professor Yoo Jae-seok stated, “Utilizing this technology could enable its integration with developing non-invasive ultrasound brain stimulation technologies, which can be used in the diagnosis and treatment of various brain disorders.”