Transcranial imaging with 3D ultrasound tomography: proof of concept

3D ultrasound tomography is already in use in clinics for breast. This is a proof of concept showing evidence that transcranial acoustic propagation is possible in neonates and shows actual reconstruction of excised ovine brain and excised bovine eye to establish high resolution images of transcranial/near cranial organs relevant to neonatology. Hemorrhage in newborn brain is a critical medical condition. MRI is often used but may not be available in low resource environments (LRE). 3D ultrasound does not require radiation or Gadolinium. MRI may require dangerous sedation. We show images of speed of sound (SOS) and reflection of the bovine eye and reflection images (corrected for SOS and refraction) that indicate proof of concept. We quantify resolution for reflection at 0.8 mm. The eye images are superior to MRI in resolution and quantitative accuracy, and the brain images show comparable resolution and detail to MRI. The reflection images use the high resolution SOS image for refraction and SOS correction, which increases resolution and removes speckle, leading to MRI-like images useful for hemorrhagic diagnosis in neonates without dangerous radiation or Gadolinium contrast.