Photoacoustic Imaging for Image-Guided Gastric Tube Placement: Ex Vivo Characterization

Over 250,000 gastrostomy tubes (G-tubes) are placed annually in the United States. Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is the most widely used clinical method for placing G-tubes within the stomach. However, endoscope detectability is limited due to the scattering of light by tissues. Poor org...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Samuel John, Yeidi Yuja Vaquiz, Nikhila Nyayapathi, Loay Kabbani, Anoop Nilam, Jonathan F. Lovell, Nicole A. Wilson, Yan Yan, Mohammad Mehrmohammadi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Sensors
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/5/1597
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850031259466596352
author Samuel John
Yeidi Yuja Vaquiz
Nikhila Nyayapathi
Loay Kabbani
Anoop Nilam
Jonathan F. Lovell
Nicole A. Wilson
Yan Yan
Mohammad Mehrmohammadi
author_facet Samuel John
Yeidi Yuja Vaquiz
Nikhila Nyayapathi
Loay Kabbani
Anoop Nilam
Jonathan F. Lovell
Nicole A. Wilson
Yan Yan
Mohammad Mehrmohammadi
author_sort Samuel John
collection DOAJ
description Over 250,000 gastrostomy tubes (G-tubes) are placed annually in the United States. Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is the most widely used clinical method for placing G-tubes within the stomach. However, endoscope detectability is limited due to the scattering of light by tissues. Poor organ visibility and low sensitivity of the palpation techniques cause blind needle insertions, which cause colon/liver perforations, abdominal bleeding, and gastric resections. Additionally, imaging artifacts and the poor distinguishability between water-filled tissues make ultrasound (US) imaging-based techniques incompatible with G-tube placement. The risk of ionizing radiation exposure and the confinement of fluoroscopy to radiology suites limits its bedside utility in patients. Considering these limitations, we propose to design a safe, point-of-care integrated US and photoacoustic (PA) imaging system for accurate G-tube placement procedures, for a broad spectrum of patients, and to characterize the system’s effectiveness. Our proposed technology utilizes a clinically safe contrast agent and a dual-wavelength approach for precise procedures. Our ex vivo tissue studies indicated that PA imaging accurately differentiates the different organs at specific wavelengths. Our characterization studies revealed that PA imaging could detect lower concentrations of Indocyanine Green (ICG) dye coating the colon wall, minimizing the risk of ICG dye-related toxicity and providing safer G-tube placements.
format Article
id doaj-art-2a13da53564e49f0a8c1e78d3d3d4a7c
institution DOAJ
issn 1424-8220
language English
publishDate 2025-03-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Sensors
spelling doaj-art-2a13da53564e49f0a8c1e78d3d3d4a7c2025-08-20T02:59:01ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202025-03-01255159710.3390/s25051597Photoacoustic Imaging for Image-Guided Gastric Tube Placement: Ex Vivo CharacterizationSamuel John0Yeidi Yuja Vaquiz1Nikhila Nyayapathi2Loay Kabbani3Anoop Nilam4Jonathan F. Lovell5Nicole A. Wilson6Yan Yan7Mohammad Mehrmohammadi8Imaging Physics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USADepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USADepartment of Imaging Sciences, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USAVascular Surgery, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI 48202, USADepartment of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14260, USADepartment of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14260, USADepartments of Surgery, Pediatrics, & Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY 14642, USADepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USADepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USAOver 250,000 gastrostomy tubes (G-tubes) are placed annually in the United States. Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is the most widely used clinical method for placing G-tubes within the stomach. However, endoscope detectability is limited due to the scattering of light by tissues. Poor organ visibility and low sensitivity of the palpation techniques cause blind needle insertions, which cause colon/liver perforations, abdominal bleeding, and gastric resections. Additionally, imaging artifacts and the poor distinguishability between water-filled tissues make ultrasound (US) imaging-based techniques incompatible with G-tube placement. The risk of ionizing radiation exposure and the confinement of fluoroscopy to radiology suites limits its bedside utility in patients. Considering these limitations, we propose to design a safe, point-of-care integrated US and photoacoustic (PA) imaging system for accurate G-tube placement procedures, for a broad spectrum of patients, and to characterize the system’s effectiveness. Our proposed technology utilizes a clinically safe contrast agent and a dual-wavelength approach for precise procedures. Our ex vivo tissue studies indicated that PA imaging accurately differentiates the different organs at specific wavelengths. Our characterization studies revealed that PA imaging could detect lower concentrations of Indocyanine Green (ICG) dye coating the colon wall, minimizing the risk of ICG dye-related toxicity and providing safer G-tube placements.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/5/1597gastrostomy tubeultrasoundphotoacousticimage-guidedfiberneedle
spellingShingle Samuel John
Yeidi Yuja Vaquiz
Nikhila Nyayapathi
Loay Kabbani
Anoop Nilam
Jonathan F. Lovell
Nicole A. Wilson
Yan Yan
Mohammad Mehrmohammadi
Photoacoustic Imaging for Image-Guided Gastric Tube Placement: Ex Vivo Characterization
Sensors
gastrostomy tube
ultrasound
photoacoustic
image-guided
fiber
needle
title Photoacoustic Imaging for Image-Guided Gastric Tube Placement: Ex Vivo Characterization
title_full Photoacoustic Imaging for Image-Guided Gastric Tube Placement: Ex Vivo Characterization
title_fullStr Photoacoustic Imaging for Image-Guided Gastric Tube Placement: Ex Vivo Characterization
title_full_unstemmed Photoacoustic Imaging for Image-Guided Gastric Tube Placement: Ex Vivo Characterization
title_short Photoacoustic Imaging for Image-Guided Gastric Tube Placement: Ex Vivo Characterization
title_sort photoacoustic imaging for image guided gastric tube placement ex vivo characterization
topic gastrostomy tube
ultrasound
photoacoustic
image-guided
fiber
needle
url https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/5/1597
work_keys_str_mv AT samueljohn photoacousticimagingforimageguidedgastrictubeplacementexvivocharacterization
AT yeidiyujavaquiz photoacousticimagingforimageguidedgastrictubeplacementexvivocharacterization
AT nikhilanyayapathi photoacousticimagingforimageguidedgastrictubeplacementexvivocharacterization
AT loaykabbani photoacousticimagingforimageguidedgastrictubeplacementexvivocharacterization
AT anoopnilam photoacousticimagingforimageguidedgastrictubeplacementexvivocharacterization
AT jonathanflovell photoacousticimagingforimageguidedgastrictubeplacementexvivocharacterization
AT nicoleawilson photoacousticimagingforimageguidedgastrictubeplacementexvivocharacterization
AT yanyan photoacousticimagingforimageguidedgastrictubeplacementexvivocharacterization
AT mohammadmehrmohammadi photoacousticimagingforimageguidedgastrictubeplacementexvivocharacterization