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Afshari, P. ; Zakian Dominguez, C.M. ; Ntziachristos, V.

Improving ultrasound images with elevational angular compounding based on acoustic refraction.

Sci. Rep. 10:18173 (2020)
Verlagsversion DOI PMC
Open Access Gold
Creative Commons Lizenzvertrag
Ultrasound imaging is affected by coherent noise or speckle, which reduces contrast and overall image quality and degrades the diagnostic precision of the collected images. Elevational angular compounding (EAC) is an attractive means of addressing this limitation, since it reduces speckle noise while operating in real-time. However, current EAC implementations rely on mechanically rotating a one-dimensional (1D) transducer array or electronically beam steering of two-dimensional (2D) arrays to provide different elevational imaging angles, which increases the size and cost of the systems. Here we present a novel EAC implementation based on a 1D array, which does not necessitate mechanically rotating the transducer. The proposed refraction-based elevational angular compounding technique (REACT) instead utilizes a translating cylindrical acoustic lens that steers the ultrasound beam along the elevational direction. Applying REACT to investigate phantoms and excised tissue samples demonstrated superior suppression of ultrasound speckle noise compared to previous EAC methods, with up to a two-fold improvement in signal- and contrast-to-noise ratios. The effects of elevational angular width on speckle reduction was further investigated to determine the appropriate conditions for applying EAC. This study introduces acoustic refractive elements as potential low cost solutions to noise reduction, which could be integrated into current medical ultrasound devices.
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Publikationstyp Artikel: Journalartikel
Dokumenttyp Wissenschaftlicher Artikel
Korrespondenzautor
Schlagwörter Speckle Suppression; Reduction; Filter
ISSN (print) / ISBN 2045-2322
e-ISSN 2045-2322
Zeitschrift Scientific Reports
Quellenangaben Band: 10, Heft: 1, Seiten: , Artikelnummer: 18173 Supplement: ,
Verlag Nature Publishing Group
Verlagsort London
Nichtpatentliteratur Publikationen
Begutachtungsstatus Peer reviewed
Institut(e) Institute of Biological and Medical Imaging (IBMI)
Förderungen European Union