PUPIL: Programmable Ultrasound Platform and Interface Library

Abstract

Abstract.A new programmable ultrasound machine and software interface is described. The software interface takes advantage of the open architecture of the new machine to provide real-time access to the digital image formation pipeline and control of the parameters of acquisition. The first application of the system seeks to enhance the visibility of a needle in an image-guided procedure. The enhancement algorithm detects the needle in an ultrasound image and automatically steers the ultrasound beam in the perpendicular direction. This direction produces the strongest echoes and raises the contrast of the needle in subsequent images. The results show improved visibility of a needle in both phantoms and real tissue. The results also demonstrate the flexibility and performance of the system and its suitability for a wide range of research.

Enhanced needle localization in ultrasound using beam steering and learning-based segmentation

“…The use of US imaging allows for real-time visualization of needles within the desired anatomical context. Electronically steering the US beam in a direction perpendicular to the needle orientation produces strong specular reflections that enhance needle visualization [8,9]. However, needle visualization is still challenging in the following scenarios: (1) the needle is not completely contained in the 2D US imaging plane, (2) the background tissue contains long, linear objects Software-based methods seek to segment the needle using image processing algorithms.…”

Enhancement of needle visibility in ultrasound-guided percutaneous procedures

“…The previous needle-enhancement algorithm by Rohling et al (2003) simply displayed the steered image when a needle was detected. However, steering the US beam at an oblique angle changes the field of view from rectangular to trapezoidal.…”

“…An algorithm for enhancing needle visibility via beam steering was originally proposed by Rohling et al (2003). It detected the needle by matching a needle template to the current image using the correlation coefficient as a metric.…”

Real-time spatial compounding with warping

“…It also provides a real-time interface to the 500RP from a high-performance workstation through a fiber-optic network. A brief description of this system can be found in Rohling et al, 9 with more details available in the technical report. 10 We will demonstrate a spatial compounding system with warping that achieves real-time performance on standard PC hardware and produces compound images with improved quality.…”