Novel quality assessment protocol based on Kiviat diagram for pulsed wave Doppler diagnostic systems: first results

Abstract

Ultrasound (US) systems are routinely and extensively used in several medical fields despite the lack of an internationally accepted quality standard for their testing. One crucial aspect for Quality Assessment (QA) protocols is the need to summarize the contribution of the large number of existing test parameters in a few meaningful quantities. The study herein proposed fits into this context, focusing on the use of the Kiviat diagram applied to Pulsed Wave Doppler (PWD) equipment QA. Four test parameters, derived from the literature, were objectively assessed through custom-written image analysis-based methods and then scaled for an effective combination. The experimental setup used to collect PWD spectrograms included an intermediate technology level US diagnostic system equipped with a linear array probe and a commercial Doppler flow phantom. Tests were repeated at two Doppler frequencies.