- Email: [email protected]
In memoriam: Frederic Louis Lizzi (1942–2005)
Ultrasound in Med. & Biol., Vol. 32, No. 11, pp. 1629 –1630, 2006 Copyright © 2006 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology Printed in the USA. All rights reserved 0301-5629/06/$–see front matter
doi:10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2006.09.001
● Guest Editorial IN MEMORIAM: FREDERIC LOUIS LIZZI (1942–2005) ERNEST J. FELEPPA
AND
JEFFERY KETTERLING
Research Director, Riverside Research Institute, New York, NY, USA
Frederic L. Lizzi, EngScD died on 8 January 2005, leaving behind an invaluable legacy of pioneering research in biomedical ultrasound. From 1984 until his death in 2005, he was Research Director of the Biomedical Engineering Laboratories at Riverside Research Institute in New York City, where he began in 1967 as a Columbia University graduate student. Known to everyone as Fred, he was widely recognized as an innovative, imaginative researcher who made numerous advances in our understanding of the way in which ultrasound interacts with tissue. His contributions to the field of biomedical ultrasound extended from scattering phenomena of pulsed ultrasound to bioeffects caused by high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU). These contributions included innovative formulations of theoretical frameworks for tissue backscatter, rigorous modeling and simulations of bioeffects, meticulously performed laboratory studies and, ultimately, effective clinical applications. Fred was a complete researcher in the field of biomedical ultrasound whose work inspired scientists, engineers and clinicians throughout the world. Fred’s biomedical ultrasound research began in the early 1970s with development of a 10-MHz scanner suitable for use in ophthalmology. This work evolved from optical technology then in use at Riverside Research Institute. This technology used high-frequency ultrasound transducers in acoustooptical light modulators, which gave Fred and his coworkers at RRI the basic ingredients to design and fabricate a sophisticated ophthalmic scanner. This effort produced an effective manually scanned ophthalmic scanner that operated at 10 MHz and produced images of exquisite resolution by the standards of the day. However, 10-MHz ultrasound raised questions concerning possible detrimental bioeffects at frequencies that were nearly an order of magni-
tude higher than those used clinically at the time. So, in collaboration with clinicians at Columbia University, Fred initiated studies of the safety of high frequency ultrasound in the eye and he showed that diagnostic levels of pulsed 10-MHz ultrasound were quite safe. Subsequently, based on knowledge gained in creating observable lesions in the eye, Fred redirected this research into studies of therapeutic applications of HIFU, which contributed to the present-day international interest in HIFU. Fred’s early HIFU studies included development of the Sonocare CST-100, the first ultrasoundtherapy device to receive FDA approval in the USA. Numerous studies of ultrasound bioeffects and therapeutic applications evolved from Fred’s pioneering HIFU research and continue today in many laboratories throughout the world. While collaborating with clinical ophthalmologists on eye-safety studies, Fred became aware of the need to distinguish among different types of neoplasms arising in the eye and its orbit. A key concern among ophthalmologists was the need to distinguish primary choroidal melanomas from cancers that were metastatic to the eye. Inspired by the work of earlier pioneers in ultrasonic tissue typing, Fred focused on exploiting the information present in “raw” radio-frequency echo signals by using spectrum analysis to extract distinctive features lost in video signals. He expressed spectral features using two simple linear-regression parameters, slope and intercept, and the method was successful not only in distinguishing between primary and metastatic intraocular tumors, but it also was able to distinguish among different degrees of lethality posed by different expressions of malignant melanomas. To gain greater insight into the mechanisms underlying the observed spectral parameters, Fred and his collaborators formulated a theoretical framework for ultrasound scattering in tissues, which was published in 1983. This framework related spectral parameters to scatterer properties, such as size and concentration. Much of the present-day tissue-typing, tissue-type-imaging and treatment-monitoring research and related theo-
Address correspondence to: Ernest J. Feleppa, Riverside Research Institute, Biomedical Engineering Laboratories, 156 William Street, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10038-2609 USA. E-mail: feleppa@ rrinyc.org 1629
1630
Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology
retical development has evolved from Fred’s early ophthalmic studies and the theoretical framework they engendered. Historic and current studies include such diverse organs and tissues as the liver, kidneys, thrombi, plaque, heart, prostate, breast, lymph nodes and even bones. These studies have demonstrated valuable potential benefits in clinical applications that involve detecting, diagnosing and monitoring disease, for example, for treatment planning and biopsy guidance. Fred was active in several professional societies and was a member of the Board of Governors of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine from 1984 to 1986 and of the International Society of Therapeutic Ultrasound from 2002 until his death in 2005. He held appointments as an adjunct professor at Columbia University and at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University. During his lifetime, Fred’s professional accomplishments were recognized in many ways. For example, he served as a member of the Advisory Editorial Board of this journal, Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology, from 1978 right up to the time of his death. The journal gave him a best technical-paper award in 1984 and a best clinical-paper award in 1986. The American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine gave Fred five prestigious awards over an eight-year period. The British Institute of Radiology gave him the Mayneord award in 1990. Fred
Volume 32, Number 11, 2006
was honored posthumously by dedication of the 30th Annual Symposium on Ultrasonic Imaging and Tissue Characterization to his work in May 2005. The Biomedical Engineering Laboratories at Riverside Research Institute were renamed the Frederic L. Lizzi Center for Biomedical Engineering in June 2005. Fred was inducted into the Memorial Hall of Fame of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine in June 2005. A special session of the meeting of the Acoustical Society of America was dedicated to Fred in June 2006. And, finally, we honor Fred in this issue of Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology. This summary of his professional accomplishments only provides a condensed overview of this exceptional man’s work. However, Fred was much more than a productive and imaginative researcher. He was a strong but compassionate leader. He loved music, read avidly and possessed an amazing breadth of knowledge. He had a ready smile, a delightful sense of humor, a lightningfast wit and wonderful warmth. Perhaps most important, Fred was a family oriented man who considered his family to be his top priority in life. The world has lost and will miss sorely this fine scientist and extraordinary man, Frederic L. Lizzi, EngScD, whose pioneering research and humanity we acknowledge by dedicating this issue of Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology to his work and memory.
doi:10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2006.09.001
● Guest Editorial IN MEMORIAM: FREDERIC LOUIS LIZZI (1942–2005) ERNEST J. FELEPPA
AND
JEFFERY KETTERLING
Research Director, Riverside Research Institute, New York, NY, USA
Frederic L. Lizzi, EngScD died on 8 January 2005, leaving behind an invaluable legacy of pioneering research in biomedical ultrasound. From 1984 until his death in 2005, he was Research Director of the Biomedical Engineering Laboratories at Riverside Research Institute in New York City, where he began in 1967 as a Columbia University graduate student. Known to everyone as Fred, he was widely recognized as an innovative, imaginative researcher who made numerous advances in our understanding of the way in which ultrasound interacts with tissue. His contributions to the field of biomedical ultrasound extended from scattering phenomena of pulsed ultrasound to bioeffects caused by high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU). These contributions included innovative formulations of theoretical frameworks for tissue backscatter, rigorous modeling and simulations of bioeffects, meticulously performed laboratory studies and, ultimately, effective clinical applications. Fred was a complete researcher in the field of biomedical ultrasound whose work inspired scientists, engineers and clinicians throughout the world. Fred’s biomedical ultrasound research began in the early 1970s with development of a 10-MHz scanner suitable for use in ophthalmology. This work evolved from optical technology then in use at Riverside Research Institute. This technology used high-frequency ultrasound transducers in acoustooptical light modulators, which gave Fred and his coworkers at RRI the basic ingredients to design and fabricate a sophisticated ophthalmic scanner. This effort produced an effective manually scanned ophthalmic scanner that operated at 10 MHz and produced images of exquisite resolution by the standards of the day. However, 10-MHz ultrasound raised questions concerning possible detrimental bioeffects at frequencies that were nearly an order of magni-
tude higher than those used clinically at the time. So, in collaboration with clinicians at Columbia University, Fred initiated studies of the safety of high frequency ultrasound in the eye and he showed that diagnostic levels of pulsed 10-MHz ultrasound were quite safe. Subsequently, based on knowledge gained in creating observable lesions in the eye, Fred redirected this research into studies of therapeutic applications of HIFU, which contributed to the present-day international interest in HIFU. Fred’s early HIFU studies included development of the Sonocare CST-100, the first ultrasoundtherapy device to receive FDA approval in the USA. Numerous studies of ultrasound bioeffects and therapeutic applications evolved from Fred’s pioneering HIFU research and continue today in many laboratories throughout the world. While collaborating with clinical ophthalmologists on eye-safety studies, Fred became aware of the need to distinguish among different types of neoplasms arising in the eye and its orbit. A key concern among ophthalmologists was the need to distinguish primary choroidal melanomas from cancers that were metastatic to the eye. Inspired by the work of earlier pioneers in ultrasonic tissue typing, Fred focused on exploiting the information present in “raw” radio-frequency echo signals by using spectrum analysis to extract distinctive features lost in video signals. He expressed spectral features using two simple linear-regression parameters, slope and intercept, and the method was successful not only in distinguishing between primary and metastatic intraocular tumors, but it also was able to distinguish among different degrees of lethality posed by different expressions of malignant melanomas. To gain greater insight into the mechanisms underlying the observed spectral parameters, Fred and his collaborators formulated a theoretical framework for ultrasound scattering in tissues, which was published in 1983. This framework related spectral parameters to scatterer properties, such as size and concentration. Much of the present-day tissue-typing, tissue-type-imaging and treatment-monitoring research and related theo-
Address correspondence to: Ernest J. Feleppa, Riverside Research Institute, Biomedical Engineering Laboratories, 156 William Street, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10038-2609 USA. E-mail: feleppa@ rrinyc.org 1629
1630
Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology
retical development has evolved from Fred’s early ophthalmic studies and the theoretical framework they engendered. Historic and current studies include such diverse organs and tissues as the liver, kidneys, thrombi, plaque, heart, prostate, breast, lymph nodes and even bones. These studies have demonstrated valuable potential benefits in clinical applications that involve detecting, diagnosing and monitoring disease, for example, for treatment planning and biopsy guidance. Fred was active in several professional societies and was a member of the Board of Governors of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine from 1984 to 1986 and of the International Society of Therapeutic Ultrasound from 2002 until his death in 2005. He held appointments as an adjunct professor at Columbia University and at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University. During his lifetime, Fred’s professional accomplishments were recognized in many ways. For example, he served as a member of the Advisory Editorial Board of this journal, Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology, from 1978 right up to the time of his death. The journal gave him a best technical-paper award in 1984 and a best clinical-paper award in 1986. The American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine gave Fred five prestigious awards over an eight-year period. The British Institute of Radiology gave him the Mayneord award in 1990. Fred
Volume 32, Number 11, 2006
was honored posthumously by dedication of the 30th Annual Symposium on Ultrasonic Imaging and Tissue Characterization to his work in May 2005. The Biomedical Engineering Laboratories at Riverside Research Institute were renamed the Frederic L. Lizzi Center for Biomedical Engineering in June 2005. Fred was inducted into the Memorial Hall of Fame of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine in June 2005. A special session of the meeting of the Acoustical Society of America was dedicated to Fred in June 2006. And, finally, we honor Fred in this issue of Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology. This summary of his professional accomplishments only provides a condensed overview of this exceptional man’s work. However, Fred was much more than a productive and imaginative researcher. He was a strong but compassionate leader. He loved music, read avidly and possessed an amazing breadth of knowledge. He had a ready smile, a delightful sense of humor, a lightningfast wit and wonderful warmth. Perhaps most important, Fred was a family oriented man who considered his family to be his top priority in life. The world has lost and will miss sorely this fine scientist and extraordinary man, Frederic L. Lizzi, EngScD, whose pioneering research and humanity we acknowledge by dedicating this issue of Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology to his work and memory.