Total attenuation compensation for backscatter coefficient estimation using full angular spatial compounding

Coila, Andres; Rouyer, Julien; Zenteno, Omar; Luchies, Adam; Oelze, Michael L.; Lavarello, Roberto

doi:10.1016/j.ultras.2021.106376

Cited by 9 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 40 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…For assessing the backscatter tissue property, a compensation for compression wave attenuation along the propagation path should be considered to get a signature of the intrinsic distribution in acoustic impedance inhomogenities of the tissue producing backscatter echoes. This is accomplished by considering the total attenuation along the path between the emitted compression wave at the surface of the skin to the ROI within the insonified organ [ 63 , 64 ].…”

Section: Backscatter Imagingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Artificial intelligence has started to be introduced in the field of QUS imaging to improve the tissue sub-resolution signature [ 108 ]; this may certainly play a major role in the future. Notice finally that the assessment of the total attenuation between the ultrasound probe and the tissue of interest remains a challenge for improving the robustness of BSC computation [ 64 ]. Mathematical optimization algorithms were proposed to simultaneously model the frequency dependency of the BSC with an assessment of the total attenuation [ 109 – 111 ].…”

Section: Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Quantitative ultrasound imaging of soft biological tissues: a primer for radiologists and medical physicists

Cloutier

Destrempes

et al. 2021

Insights Imaging

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) aims at quantifying interactions between ultrasound and biological tissues. QUS techniques extract fundamental physical properties of tissues based on interactions between ultrasound waves and tissue microstructure. These techniques provide quantitative information on sub-resolution properties that are not visible on grayscale (B-mode) imaging. Quantitative data may be represented either as a global measurement or as parametric maps overlaid on B-mode images. Recently, major ultrasound manufacturers have released speed of sound, attenuation, and backscatter packages for tissue characterization and imaging. Established and emerging clinical applications are currently limited and include liver fibrosis staging, liver steatosis grading, and breast cancer characterization. On the other hand, most biological tissues have been studied using experimental QUS methods, and quantitative datasets are available in the literature. This educational review addresses the general topic of biological soft tissue characterization using QUS, with a focus on disseminating technical concepts for clinicians and specialized QUS materials for medical physicists. Advanced but simplified technical descriptions are also provided in separate subsections identified as such. To understand QUS methods, this article reviews types of ultrasound waves, basic concepts of ultrasound wave propagation, ultrasound image formation, point spread function, constructive and destructive wave interferences, radiofrequency data processing, and a summary of different imaging modes. For each major QUS technique, topics include: concept, illustrations, clinical examples, pitfalls, and future directions.

show abstract

Section: Backscatter Imagingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantitative ultrasound imaging of soft biological tissues: a primer for radiologists and medical physicists

Cloutier

Destrempes

et al. 2021

Insights Imaging

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Several approaches have utilized the total and local attenuation method to attempt to compensate for attenuation losses (19), (20), (21). Coila et al proposed a full angular compounding method to create maps of attenuation using ultra-sound computed tomography to account for attenuation losses in the estima-ton of the BSC (22). While the clinical feasibility of these techniques shows promise, there remains high variance in estimates of the attenuation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

In vivovalidation of anin situcalibration bead as a reference for backscatter coefficient calculation

Zhao,

Czarnota,

Park

et al. 2024

Preprint

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objectives: The study aims to assess the capability of Quantitative Ultrasound (QUS) based on the backscatter coefficient (BSC) for classifying disease states, such as breast cancer response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and quantifying fatty liver disease. We evaluate the effectiveness of an in situ titanium (Ti) bead as a reference target in calibrating the system and mitigating attenuation and transmission loss effects on BSC estimation. Methods: Traditional BSC estimation methods require external references for calibration, which do not account for ultrasound attenuation or transmission losses through tissues. To address this issue, we use an in situ titanium (Ti) bead as a reference target, because it can be used to calibrate the system and mitigate the attenuation and transmission loss effects on estimation of the BSC. The capabilities of the in situ calibration approach were assessed by quantifying consistency of BSC estimates from rabbit mammary tumors (N = 21). Specifically, mammary tumors were grown in rabbits and when a tumor reached 1 cm or greater in size, a 2-mm Ti bead was implanted into the tumor as a radiological marker and a calibration source for ultrasound. Three days later, the tumors were scanned with a L-14/5 38 array transducer connected to a SonixOne scanner with and without a slab of pork belly placed on top of the tumors. The pork belly acted as an additional source of attenuation and transmission loss. QUS parameters, specifically effective scatterer diameter (ESD) and effective acoustic concentration (EAC), were calculated using calibration spectra from both an external reference phantom and the Ti bead. Results: For ESD estimation, the 95% confidence interval between measurements with and without the pork belly layer was (6.0,27.4) using the in situ bead and (114, 135.1) with the external reference phantom. For EAC estimation, the 95% confidence interval were (-8.1, 0.5) for the bead and (-41.5, -32.2) for the phantom. These results indicate that the in situ bead method shows reduced bias in QUS estimates due to intervening tissue losses. Conclusions: The use of an in situ Ti bead as a radiological marker not only serves its traditional role but also effectively acts as a calibration target for QUS methods. This approach accounts for attenuation and transmission losses in tissue, resulting in more accurate QUS estimates and offering a promising method for enhanced disease state classification in clinical settings.

show abstract

“…Ultrasound imaging plays a vital role in medical diagnostics, providing real-time visualization of anatomical structures and assisting in detecting and characterizing various diseases [1]. A fundamental parameter in ultrasound imaging is attenuation coefficient slope (ACS), which provides valuable information about tissue composition and can aid in diagnosing and monitoring pathological conditions [2]. ACS is instrumental in assessing liver diseases, like fibrosis and steatosis, offering insights into tissue damage and assisting in treatment planning [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reference-phantom-free imaging of local attenuation coefficient in synthetic transmit aperture ultrasound imaging

Abdalla,

Zhao,

2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

<p>We propose a method that employs the decorrelated compounding method [Zhao2022DCjasael] to reduce speckle variation in ultrasound images for estimating the attenuation coefficient in Synthetic Transmit Aperture (STA) imaging. The transducer bandwidth was divided into several overlapping sub-bands. Each subband’s RF signals are processed by using the decorrelated compounding to reconstruct an image, the derivative of which over depth yields the attenuation coefficient of each sub-band. The attenuation coefficient slope (ACS) was estimated by taking the derivative of the attenuation coefficient over frequency. This method was validated through numerical simulations and empirical experiments involving a tissue-mimicking commercial phantom and a two-layered phantom composed of beef over the commercial phantom. For all data sets, an ROI with a 1 cm window size was utilized to estimate attenuation. Simulations with five phantoms preset at 0.7 dB/cm.MHz resulted in an average attenuation coefficient of 0.73. The experimental phantom was similarly set at 0.7 dB/cm.MHz, and yielded an attenuation coefficient of 0.72. In the beef-phantom composite, the average ACS was 1.1 dB/cm-MHz for beef and 0.68 ± 0.03 dB/cm-MHz for the phantom. The results highlight the effectiveness of this approach for estimating the attenuation coefficient slope. The synthetic aperture technique combined with decorrelated compounding offers benefits over traditional B-mode imaging in terms of phantom-free feature, good spatial resolution, and accurate quantification of tissue properties due to the high SNR and minimumdiffraction effect in ultrasound images. The estimated attenuation coefficient can be used as a biomarker for diagnosis, treatment monitoring, and other quantitative ultrasound methods like particle size estimation.</p>

show abstract

Total attenuation compensation for backscatter coefficient estimation using full angular spatial compounding

Cited by 9 publications

References 40 publications

Quantitative ultrasound imaging of soft biological tissues: a primer for radiologists and medical physicists

Quantitative ultrasound imaging of soft biological tissues: a primer for radiologists and medical physicists

In vivovalidation of anin situcalibration bead as a reference for backscatter coefficient calculation

Reference-phantom-free imaging of local attenuation coefficient in synthetic transmit aperture ultrasound imaging

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About