UNC-CH Physics and Astronomy Thesis Proposal Presentation

Ben Levy, UNC Chapel Hill

“Development of Magnetomotive Ultrasound for Quantitative Thrombosis Imaging and Elastography”

Thrombosis, the medical term for the formation of blood clots (or thrombi) in veins and arteries, is a leading cause of heart attacks, strokes, and other life-threatening conditions. As such, medical imaging techniques capable of rapid diagnosis and treatment monitoring are necessary. Current ultrasound-based thrombosis imaging techniques cannot contrast clots against a dark-field, meaning that clinically-relevant parameters such as clot volume and stiffness cannot be measured quantitatively. Magnetomotive ultrasound imaging (MMUS) is an exciting new targeted contrast imaging modality capable of contrasting magnetically-labeled objects within an ultrasound image. My dissertation work will focus on the development of an MMUS system for direct, dark-field ultrasonic thrombosis imaging, and is aimed toward an ultimate goal of ultrasound-based thrombus detection and quantitative elastography.