%0 Journal Article
%T Super-Resolution Ultrasound Localization Microscopy on a Rabbit Liver VX2 Tumor Model: An Initial Feasibility Study.
%A Zhang W
%A Lowerison MR
%A Dong Z
%A Miller RJ
%A Keller KA
%A Song P
%J Ultrasound Med Biol
%V 47
%N 8
%D 08 2021
%M 34045095
%F 3.694
%R 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2021.04.012
%X Ultrasound localization microscopy can image microvasculature in vivo without sacrificing imaging penetration depth. However, the reliance on super-resolution inference limits the applicability of the technique because subpixel tissue motion can corrupt microvascular reconstruction. Consequently, the majority of previous pre-clinical research on this super-resolution procedure has been restricted to low-motion experimental models with ample motion correction or data rejection, which precludes the imaging of organ sites that exhibit a high degree of respiratory and other motion. In this article, we present a novel anesthesia protocol in rabbits that induces safe, controllable periods of apnea to enable the long image-acquisition times required for ultrasound localization microscopy. We apply this protocol to a VX2 liver tumor model undergoing sorafenib therapy and compare the results to super-resolution images from conventional high-dose isoflurane anesthesia. We find that the apneic protocol was necessary to correctly identify the poorly vascularized tumor cores, as verified by immunohistochemistry, and to reveal the tumoral microvascular architecture.