Fast Volumetric Ultrasound B-Mode and Doppler Imaging with a New High-Channels Density Platform for Advanced 4D Cardiac Imaging/Therapy

Abstract

Abstract:A novel ultrasound (US) high-channels platform is a pre-requisite to open new frontiers in diagnostic and/or therapy by experimental implementation of innovative advanced US techniques. To date, a few systems with more than 1000 transducers permit full and simultaneous control in both transmission and receiving of all single elements of arrays. A powerful US platform for implementing 4-D (real-time 3-D) advanced US strategies, offering full research access, is presented in this paper. It includes a 1024-elements array prototype designed for 4-D cardiac dual-mode US imaging/therapy and 4 synchronized Vantage systems. The physical addressing of each element was properly chosen for allowing various array downsampled combinations while minimizing the number of driving systems. Numerical simulations of US imaging were performed, and corresponding experimental data were acquired to compare full and downsampled array strategies, testing 4-D imaging sequences and reconstruction processes. The results indicate the degree of degradation of image quality when using full array or downsampled combinations, and the contrast ratio and the contrast to noise ratio vary from 7.71 dB to 2.02 dB and from 2.99 dB to −7.31 dB, respectively. Moreover, the feasibility of the 4-D US platform implementation was tested on a blood vessel mimicking phantom for preliminary Doppler applications. The acquired data with fast volumetric imaging with up to 2000 fps allowed assessing the validity of common 3-D power Doppler, opening in this way a large field of applications.

Spectral Doppler Measurements With 2-D Sparse Arrays

“…The operations of four Vantage 256 scanners (Verasonics, Kirkland, USA) were synchronized to realize a 1024-channel system [30]. The channels were individually connected to the elements of ref1024 by means of 8 connectors.…”

Optimal Virtual Sources Distribution in 3-D Diverging Wave Ultrasound Imaging: An Experimental Study

“…A 32 × 32 elements 2-D array probe (Vermon™, Tours, France) was connected to four synchronized Vantage-256 research scanners (Verasonics™, Inc., Kirkland, WA, USA). Once they were synchronized, up to 1024 elements of the array may be monitored [34]. The piezoelectric elements have a 3 MHz center frequency and the Vantage-256 works at 12 MHz sampling frequency.…”

Experimental Cross-Talk Reduction for 3D Multi Line Transmission

“…The data were acquired using a Verasonics 1024channels imaging platform synchronized as explained in [10]. A Vermon probe was used to transmit 8 simultaneous focused beams 128 times in order to acquire a 32 by 32 volume.…”