Improvement of range spatial resolution of medical ultrasound imaging by element-domain signal processing

Abstract

The range spatial resolution is an important factor determining the image quality in ultrasonic imaging. The range spatial resolution in ultrasonic imaging depends on the ultrasonic pulse length, which is determined by the mechanical response of the piezoelectric element in an ultrasonic probe. To improve the range spatial resolution without replacing the transducer element, in the present study, methods based on maximum likelihood (ML) estimation and multiple signal classification (MUSIC) were proposed. The proposed methods were applied to echo signals received by individual transducer elements in an ultrasonic probe. The basic experimental results showed that the axial half maximum of the echo from a string phantom was improved from 0.21 mm (conventional method) to 0.086 mm (ML) and 0.094 mm (MUSIC).

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“…On the basis of duplex sonography blood flow volume measurement equation, any minor error in vessel diameter measurements may dramatically alter the estimated flow volume. Improvement of B-mode imaging quality or the use of a radiofrequency echo-tracking system for arterial diameter measurements can reduce this potential error [28,29].…”

Radiological assessment of effectiveness of soluble RAGE in attenuating Angiotensin II-induced LVH mouse model using in vivo 9.4T MRI

“…Although echocardiogram is the most widely used imaging technique for experiments in small animal cardiovascular disease models, MRI is more suitable for monitoring of cardiac remodeling between baseline and post-intervention, due to its higher spatial resolution that allows better soft tissue contrast. Recently, US has also had significant improvement in spatial resolution, which enabled improved visualization of organs or tissues due to improvement of transducers and image-processing techniques 47,48 . Moreover, US can perform real-time imaging, allowing radiologist to observe lesions quickly and easily.…”

Grating Lobe Reduction in Plane-Wave Imaging With Angular Compounding Using Subtraction of Coherent Signals

“…Techniques to improve spatial resolution in B-mode ultrasound have been attempted using a variety of methods including This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health under Grant R21EB024133 and R01CA251939. (Corresponding author: Michael L. Oelze) beamforming techniques [4], coded excitation [5] and signal processing [6]. Finally, Contrast to noise ratio (CNR) is often considered the most important image quality metric.…”

“…For example, approaches have been applied to improve the SNR of B-mode imaging using techniques, such as coded excitation and pulse compression [ 1 ], [ 2 ] or compounding [ 3 ]. Techniques to improve spatial resolution in B-mode ultrasound have been attempted using a variety of methods, including beamforming techniques [ 4 ], coded excitation [ 5 ], and signal processing [ 6 ]. Finally, contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) is often considered the most important image quality metric.…”