Quantitative ultrasonic imaging in diagnosis of children bone pathologies

2023 Master 2 Internship proposal

Nowadays, the B-mode ultrasound is the first-line examination for the diagnosis of many children’s bone diseases. Due to its efficiency, the B-mode ultrasound is particularly dedicated to pediatric use, allowing to increase the number of procedures without harmful effects. However, ultrasound has difficulty penetrating bone and, therefore, can only see the outer surface of bony structures, and not what lies within them. For several years, the LMA associated with Children’s hospital (APHM) has been studying the diffraction-mode ultrasonic imaging of biological tissues, based on the ultrasonic computed tomography (USCT). The main difficulty of the USCT applied in the case of bone imaging is the large impedance contrast between echogenic structures and the surrounding soft tissues. In that context, we have suggested a numerical non-linear full waveform inversion method. The ambitious goal is to make children’s bone imaging become morphological and parametric. Tests with calibrated and academic bone mimicking phantoms as well as real animal and human bones will be done. To enhance the Contrast-to-Noise Ratio, a wavelet processing method will investigate. Comparative tests will be carried out in the Department of Pediatric and Prenatal Radiology at Timone Children’s Hospital in Marseille (APHM).

Prerequisites: Suitable candidates will have strong interests in conducting research in the areas of (bio)mechanical and/or acoustical applications, with theoretical, numerical and experimental aspects. We are looking for highly motivated students who can tackle scientific problems on ultrasonic systems-oriented approaches. Candidates will have excellent written and verbal communication skills, ability to work harmoniously in a collaborative research team, and to present a large autonomy in the work, responsibilities, dynamism and availability. It is possible to finance a thesis following this M2 internship.

Application: Candidates must send their application by e-mail, including a Curriculum Vitae, a letter of motivation, transcripts and a letter of recommendation from a previous internship at lasaygues@lma.cnrs-mrs.fr. After examining the application, a video interview will be proposed.