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.
![2 ultrasounds](/sites/default/files/styles/coh_medium_landscape/public/2022-09/BOT1.jpg?h=a020df78&itok=F_XAQgss)
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
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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
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![Catalase nano diagram](/sites/default/files/styles/coh_large/public/2022-07/catalase-nano.png?itok=7XJFKxIK)