Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 March 2018
With the mapping of the mouse genome, the growing sophistication in transgenic sciences creating complex mouse models of disease, and the demand to study disease in vivo, there has been a corresponding increase in the demand for and development of preclinical imaging modalities. Clinical ultrasound operating in the 2-12 MHz range is a well established clinical imaging modality, accounting for more than one-third of all imaging procedures performed in North America. The simplicity, ease of use, speed, and safety of ultrasound have led to its significant role in diagnosis, treatment assessment, follow-up, and guidance of therapy in clinical applications. Ultrasound imaging is used routinely in its B-Mode imaging mode to report on soft tissue structures. It's also used in its Doppler modes for the measurement of blood velocity in fast-flowing targets such as the cardiovascular system, in slow-flowing applications such as quantifying blood flow and in vascular architectures within tumors.