Overview
CACTUS Lab, embedded in UTSW clinical imaging facilities, focuses on various aspects of ultrasound-related research:
- Technical development of new and emerging ultrasound techniques, and how these novel tools may be translated to patient care;
- Testing and validating new and enhanced ultrasound techniques in a clinical setting;
- Retrospective and prospective analysis of imaging and clinical data related to abdominal, pelvic, and superficial ultrasound examinations.
Clinical Research
CACTUS Lab members participate in various ongoing clinical research projects related to how ultrasound impacts common diseases. Various topics of interest include:
- Chronic Liver Disease
- Screening and outcomes in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
- Liver fat and fibrosis quantification
- Head and Neck Imaging
- Thyroid cancer imaging
- Cervical lymph node evaluation
- Parathyroid localization
- Impact of Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound
- Cystic renal masses
- Solid renal masses
- HCC diagnosis and response to therapy
- Deep Venous Thrombosis
Technical Development and Translational Research
CACTUS lab supports and is directly involved in various inter-institution and industry-supported projects including:
- Liver fat, inflammation, and fibrosis quantification in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)
- Confounders of measurement consistency
- Advanced detection of renal stones
- Detection of hydrogen peroxide in abscess fluid
- Use of shear wave elastography in novel applications of superficial ultrasound
- Quantitative contrast-enhanced ultrasound for organ and tumor perfusion analysis
- Contrast-enhanced ultrasound motion correction and frame filtering
- Ultrasound lymphangiography
Many projects are performed in collaboration with various other labs and programs, including:
- TRUST (Translational Research in UltraSound Theranostics)
- UT Larynx Lab
- UT Dallas Ultrasound Imaging and Therapy Laboratory (USIT)
- UT Southwestern Breast Imaging Research
