用于双盲人体低强度聚焦超声神经调控的声耦合装置
本研究开发了一种嵌入3D打印热塑性圆盘的凝胶-塑料耦合装置，用于人体LIFU神经调控的双盲实验。通过测试不同厚度和填充密度的ABS材料，确定1.5 mm厚度、50%填充密度在0.50 MHz下插入损耗最低（0.9 ± 0.04 dB），而假装置引入空气间隙后插入损耗达31 dB。该装置能保持视觉和触觉不可区分，支持双盲协议。
要点
- 真装置在0.50 MHz插入损耗仅0.9 ± 0.04 dB，声学透明适合真实刺激。
- 假装置通过内部空气间隙实现31 dB插入损耗，有效阻断超声。
- 真装置对波束形状影响小，径向峰值偏移0.3 ± 0.2 mm，轴向平均偏移0.5 mm。
诊断标准与关键数值
- 真装置：ABS厚度1.5 mm、填充密度50%，在0.50 MHz插入损耗最低为0.9 ± 0.04 dB。
- 假装置：引入内部空气间隙，在0.50 MHz插入损耗为31 dB。
- 真装置波束影响：径向峰值偏移0.3 ± 0.2 mm，轴向平均偏移0.5 mm。
临床应用与阅片要点
- 在人体LIFU双盲实验中，可使用该凝胶-塑料耦合装置确保真刺激和假刺激条件下操作者和受试者均无法区分。
- 选择真装置参数时，优先采用1.5 mm厚度、50%填充密度的ABS，以最小化插入损耗。
- 假装置需包含内部空气间隙以实现足够的超声阻断（31 dB插入损耗）。
以上解读依据论文摘要（全文未开放获取或许可不允许翻译转载）。
英文原文（摘要）· 点击展开
OBJECTIVE: Low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) is a non-invasive neuromodulation technique with the potential for precise targeting of small and deep human brain circuitry. To ensure rigorous and reproducible effects, it is necessary to implement double-blinding to mitigate potential experimental biases. This study innovates on previous ultrasound coupling methods by embedding a 3D-printed thermoplastic disc in a high-density gel-polymer matrix to create identical gel-plastic coupling devices that either transmit (verum) or block (sham) ultrasound.
METHODS: We evaluated varying thicknesses (1.5 mm, 2.0 mm, 2.5 mm) and infill densities (25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%) of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) for insertion loss and effects on beam characteristics across relevant human neuromodulation frequencies from 0.2 to 1 MHz.
RESULTS: The ABS integrated device at 1.5 mm thickness and 50% infill had the lowest insertion loss at 0.50 MHz of 0.9 ± 0.04 dB demonstrating acoustic transparency suitable for a verum device. For the sham device, we introduced an internal air gap that produced 31 dB insertion loss at 0.50 MHz. The verum device demonstrated minimal effects on the beam shape with a radial peak shift of 0.3 ± 0.2 mm and an average axial shift of 0.5 mm.
DISCUSSION: This novel gel-plastic coupling device can be tailored to most LIFU transducer shapes and is designed to support double-blind protocols by maintaining visual and tactile indistinguishability while controlling transmitted energy. This method provides a cost-effective and easily implementable solution for double-blinding in human LIFU studies to improve the reliability and rigor of experimental outcomes.
引用
- Kapoor A, Strohman A, Ni Y, et al. Acoustic Coupling for Double-Blind Human Low-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Neuromodulation. Ultrasound Med Biol. 2026. PMID: 42115110. doi:10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2026.04.012
供执业医师工作参考，不替代临床判断；数值与分级以指南原文为准。