Optimizing the Ultrasound Image Quality of Carotid Artery Stenosis Patients via Taguchi’s Dynamic Analysis and an Indigenous Water Phantom

Abstract

This study optimized the ultrasound image of carotid artery stenosis using Taguchi dynamic analysis and an indigenous water phantom. Eighteen combinations of seven essential factors of the ultrasound scan facility were organized according to Taguchi’s L18 orthogonal array. The seven factors were assigned as follows: (1) angle of probe; (2) signal gain; (3) resolution vs. speed; (4) dynamic range; (5) XRES; (6) zoom; (7) time gain compensation. An indigenous water phantom was customized to satisfy the quantified need in Taguchi’s analysis. Unlike the conventional dynamic Taguchi analysis, an innovative quantified index, the figure of merit (FOM), was proposed to integrate four specific quality characteristics, namely (i) average difference between the practical scan and theoretically preset area (78.5, 50.2 and 12.6 mm2) of stenosis, (ii) standard deviation of the average, (iii) practical scan’s sensitivity β to various stenosis diameters (10, 8, and 4 mm), and (iv) correlation coefficient r2 of the linear regressed sensitivity curve. The highest value (FOM = 0.413) was furnished by the optimal combination of factors on 18 groups under study, yielding high r2 and low β or standard deviation values and the best quality of ultrasound images for the further clinical diagnosis. The comparison between FOM and the conventional signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio in Taguchi’s analysis revealed that FOM compiled more quality characteristics that were superior by nature to fulfill the practical need in clinical diagnosis. The alternative choice in ultrasound scan optimization can be based on stenosis diameter variation from a different perspective to be explored in the follow-up study.

Enhanced acrylic gauge with five eccentric circles for optimizing CT angiography spatial resolution via Taguchi’s methodology

“…( 1 ). Accordingly, the fish-bone plots of each factor were constructed based on Taguchi’s L 18 orthogonal array [ 14 , 15 ]. As seen in Fig.…”

“…The optimal combinations of such factors for the CTA scan protocol are identified via the signal-to-noise ratio (S/N). More detail can be found elsewhere [ 13 , 14 , 15 ].…”

Development of an Artificial Soft Solid Gel Using Gelatin Material for High-Quality Ultrasound Diagnosis

“…To solve the problem of gel drying, methods such as the use of water and silicon phantoms have been studied [12][13][14][15]. The use of water phantoms in medical ultrasound has been reported to have positive evaluations of high safety [12][13][14][15].…”

“…To solve the problem of gel drying, methods such as the use of water and silicon phantoms have been studied [12][13][14][15]. The use of water phantoms in medical ultrasound has been reported to have positive evaluations of high safety [12][13][14][15]. However, during the ultrasonic energy transfer process, problems such as scattering, absorption, heterogeneity, backscattering, calibration difficulties, and setup complexity may be encountered.…”

“…For silicon applications, acoustic properties, photoacoustic generation, backscattering, homogeneity, processing complexity, compatibility, cost, and availability are important [12,14,15]. However, the speed and reflection (echo) characteristics of sound waves may be adversely affected due to impedance differences between the ultrasound probe, tissue, and silicone material [13].…”