Implementation of vibro-acoustography on a clinical ultrasound system

Urban, Matthew W.; Chalek, C.L.; Kinnick, Randall R.; Kinter, T. M.; Haider, B.; Greenleaf, James F.; Thomenius, Kai E.; Fatemi, Mostafa

doi:10.1109/tuffc.2011.1927

Cited by 44 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Reliable ways to perform this task can be realized by using two separate transducers in an X-focal configuration [26] or by creating beams separated by large distances using a linear array [25, 29]. However, the X-focal configuration is difficult to use because alignment of the two sources is tedious.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The resolution of VA images has been extensively characterized by analyzing the PSF of the excitation configuration for many different types of configurations of the ultrasound beams [2, 14, 23, 25-29]. The contrast in VA images has not received the same level of attention, but this concept is critical to distinguishing diseased tissue from normal tissue.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The inclusions are labeled for later reference and contrast evaluation. [Adapted with permission from [29], © IEEE 2011]…”

Section: Highlightsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Complex background suppression for vibro-acoustography images

et al. 2015

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Vibro-acoustography (VA) is an ultrasound-based imaging modality that maps the acoustic response, or acoustic emission, of an object stimulated by two ultrasound waves at slightly different frequencies. VA images typically have a nonzero background intensity which can reduce contrast in images. We present a method that uses the complex representation of the acoustic emission data to estimate and suppress the unwanted background signal. This method utilizes a fast, linear approach to the problem called complex background suppression (CBS) using a square filtering window of size W × W. Images processed with the CBS algorithm have significantly enhanced contrast. Another improvement observed with this method is the ability to better localize objects within the depth direction with respect to the ultrasound transducer. This algorithm was tested on images obtained from scanning a phantom with spherical inclusions, a urethane breast phantom, and in vivo human breast. The results show that image quality is improved through processing with the CBS algorithm by increasing the contrast of features in the images. The contrast in the sphere phantom was increased by factors of 2-12 depending on the sphere. Utilizing the CBS algorithm increased the contrast in breast phantom by factors ranging from 1.1-5.4 for various inclusions. The size of the filtering window, W, affected the contrast achieved between the phantom features such as the spheres or simulated inclusions and the background material. Application of the CBS algorithm also demonstrated that objects could be localized in depth much better as the relationship to image intensity level was directly correlated to objects located at the center of the focal plane in the axial direction. This method has wide applicability for all VA imaging applications.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Complex background suppression for vibro-acoustography images

et al. 2015

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“…To translate VA imaging to a clinical setting, we have collaborated with General Electric to modify a General Electric Vivid 7 ultrasound scanner (GE HealthCare Ultrasound Cardiology, Horton, Norway) using software and hardware modifications [115]. This system electronically scans the focus of the two ultrasound beams across the azimuthal dimension of the transducer, which speeds up the scanning procedure significantly, compared to mechanical scanning of the transducer.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review of Vibro-acoustography and its Applications in Medicine

Urban

Alizad²,

Aquino

et al. 2011

CMIR

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In recent years, several new techniques based on the radiation force of ultrasound have been developed. Vibro-acoustography is a speckle-free ultrasound based imaging modality that can visualize normal and abnormal soft tissue through mapping the acoustic response of the object to a harmonic radiation force induced by ultrasound. In vibro-acoustography, the ultrasound energy is converted from high ultrasound frequencies to a low acoustic frequency (acoustic emission) that is often two orders of magnitude smaller than the ultrasound frequency. The acoustic emission is normally detected by a hydrophone. In medical imaging, vibroacoustography has been tested on breast, prostate, arteries, liver, and thyroid. These studies have shown that vibro-acoustic data can be used for quantitative evaluation of elastic properties. This paper presents an overview of vibro-acoustography and its applications in the areas of biomedicine.

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“…The same confocal transducer has been also used for in vivo measurements in human breast [14] [15] [16]. More clinically oriented studies need to be performed using linear and phased arrays, which is facilitated by implementation of VA on a clinical imaging system [17]. …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vibro-acoustography beam formation with reconfigurable arrays

Kamimura

Urban

Carneiro

et al. 2012

IEEE Trans. Ultrason., Ferroelect., Freq. Contr.

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In this work, we present a numerical study of the use of reconfigurable arrays (RCA) for vibro-acoustography (VA) beam formation. A parametric study of the aperture selection, number of channels, number of elements, focal distance, and steering parameters is presented in order to show the feasibility and evaluate the performance of VA imaging based on RCA. The transducer aperture was based on two concentric arrays driven by two continuous-wave or toneburst signals at slightly different frequencies. The mathematical model considers a homogeneous, isotropic, inviscid medium. The point-spread function of the system is calculated based on angular spectrum methods using the Fresnel approximation for rectangular sources. Simulations considering arrays with 50 × 50 to 200 × 200 elements with number of channels varying in the range of 32 to 128 are evaluated to identify the best configuration for VA. Advantages of two dimensional and RCA arrays and aspects related to clinical importance of the RCA implementation in VA such as spatial resolution, image frame-rate, and commercial machine implementation are discussed. It is concluded that RCA transducers can produce spatial resolution similar to confocal transducers, steering is possible in elevation and azimuthal planes, and optimal settings for number of elements, number of channels, maximum steering, and focal distance are suggested for VA clinical application. Furthermore, an optimization for beam steering based on the channel assignment is proposed for balancing the contribution of the two waves in the steered focus.

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Implementation of vibro-acoustography on a clinical ultrasound system

Cited by 44 publications

References 25 publications

Complex background suppression for vibro-acoustography images

Complex background suppression for vibro-acoustography images

A Review of Vibro-acoustography and its Applications in Medicine

Vibro-acoustography beam formation with reconfigurable arrays

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