Integrated Photoacoustic, Ultrasound, and Angiographic Tomography (PAUSAT) for NonInvasive Whole-Brain Imaging of Ischemic Stroke

Summary

This work demonstrates the use of a multimodal ultrasound-based imaging platform for noninvasive imaging of ischemic stroke. This system allows for the quantification of blood oxygenation through photoacoustic imaging and impaired perfusion in the brain through acoustic angiography.

Abstract

Presented here is an experimental ischemic stroke study using our newly developed noninvasive imaging system that integrates three acoustic-based imaging technologies: photoacoustic, ultrasound, and angiographic tomography (PAUSAT). Combining these three modalities helps acquire multi-spectral photoacoustic tomography (PAT) of the brain blood oxygenation, high-frequency ultrasound imaging of the brain tissue, and acoustic angiography of the cerebral blood perfusion. The multi-modal imaging platform allows the study of cerebral perfusion and oxygenation changes in the whole mouse brain after stroke. Two commonly used ischemic stroke models were evaluated: the permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (pMCAO) model and the photothrombotic (PT) model. PAUSAT was used to image the same mouse brains before and after a stroke and quantitatively analyze both stroke models. This imaging system was able to clearly show the brain vascular changes after ischemic stroke, including significantly reduced blood perfusion and oxygenation in the stroke infarct region (ipsilateral) compared to the uninjured tissue (contralateral). The results were confirmed by both laser speckle contrast imaging and triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining. Furthermore, stroke infarct volume in both stroke models was measured and validated by TTC staining as the ground truth. Through this study, we have demonstrated that PAUSAT can be a powerful tool in noninvasive and longitudinal preclinical studies of ischemic stroke.

Introduction

Blood transports oxygen (via the hemoglobin protein) and other important nutrients to tissues in our bodies. When the flow of blood through tissues is interrupted (ischemia), severe damage to the tissues can occur, the most immediate effects of which are due to a lack of oxygen (hypoxia). Ischemic stroke is the result of interrupted blood flow to a certain region of the brain. The brain damage resulting from an ischemic stroke can occur within minutes of a vessel blockage, and can often have debilitating and lasting effects^1,2. A highly valuable strategy to evaluate the physiopathology after ischemic ....

Protocol

All animal procedures were approved by the Duke University Medical Center Animal Care and Use Committee and were conducted in accordance with the United States Public Health Service's Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. Male and female C57BL/6J mice (see Table of Materials) were used for these studies. A minimum of three animals were imaged per stroke model group. See Figure 2 for the workflow followed in this protocol.

Discussion

There are a few vital aspects of this method that, if done incorrectly, can lead to significantly decreased image quality and quantitative analysis. The most commonly occurring result of user-error in PAUSAT images is either a lack of signal or very low signal strength, both of which can occur for a variety of reasons. One such reason is a problem with the acoustic coupling. Large air bubbles in the water surrounding the mouse's head during imaging can often block the ultrasound from travelling to or from the transdu.......

Materials

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
20 GA catheter	BD Insyte Autoguard Winged	381534	For mouse intubation
2,3,5-Triphenyltetrazolium chloride	Sigma	T8877	Necessary for TTC-staining brain for validation
532nm Laser	Quantel	Q-smart 850	Laser used to pump the OPO for PAT
Automatic Ventilator Rovent Jr.	Kent Scientific	RV-JR	To keep mice under anesthesia during surgical procedure
Black braided silk 4-0 USP	Surgical Specialties	SP116	Used for sutures on the neck for pMCAO surgery
Bupivacaine	Hospira	0409-1159-18	Used prior to closing wounds during surgical procedure
C57BL/6 Mice	Jackson Lab	#000664	Mice used for studying ischemic stroke (2-6 month old male/female)
Clear suture	Ethicon	8606	Used for closing wound (PT stroke and pMCAO). A clear suture won't interfere with PAT
Cold Light LED	Schott	KL 1600	Needed to create PT stroke
Disposable Razor Blade	Accutec Blades	74-0002	For sectioning mouse brain
Electric drill	JSDA	JD-700	Used to expose MCA during pMCAO procedure
Electrocauterization tool	Wet-Field	Wet-Field Bipolar-RG	Stops blood flow after drilling during pMCAO procedure
Hair removal gel	Veet	8282651	Used to remove hair from mouse prior to imaging
High Temperature Cautery Loop Tip	BOVIE Medical Corporation	REF AA03	Used to avoid bleeding when separating the temporal muscle from the skull
IR Detector Card	Thorlabs	VRC5	Used to ensure light path is aligned
Laser Power Meter	Ophir	StarBright, P/N 7Z01580	Can be used to calibrate the laser energy prior to imaging
Laser Speckle Imaging System	RWD Life Science Co.	RFLSI-III	Can be used to validate stroke surgery success
Lubricant Eye Ointment	Soothe	AB31336	Can be used to avoid drying of the eyes
Manually adjustable stage	Thorlabs	L490	Used with custom ramp for multiple focal depth AA imaging
Modified Vega Imaging System	Perkin Elmer	LLA00061	System containing both B-mode/AA and PAT transducers
Optical Parametric Oscillator	Quantel	versaScan-L532	Allows for tuning of excitation wavelength in a large range
Programmable Ultrasound System	Verasonics	Vantage 256	Used for PAT part of system
Rose Bengal	Sigma	330000	Necessary to induce PT stroke
Suture	LOOK	SP116	Used for permanent ligation of CCA
Temperature Contoller	Physitemp	TCAT-2	Used to maintain stable body temperature of mice during procedures
VesselVue Microbubbles	Perkin Elmer	P-4007001	Used for acoustic angiography (2.43 × 10^9 microbubbles/mL)