TY - JOUR
T1 - High Frame Rate Volumetric Imaging of Microbubbles Using a Sparse Array and Spatial Coherence Beamforming
AU - Wei, Luxi
AU - Wahyulaksana, Geraldi
AU - Meijlink, Bram
AU - Ramalli, Alessandro
AU - Noothout, Emile
AU - Verweij, Martin
AU - Van der Steen, Antonius F.W.
AU - De Jong, Nico
AU - Vos, Hendrik J.
AU - More Authors, null
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - Volumetric ultrasound imaging of blood flow with microbubbles enables a more complete visualization of the microvasculature. Sparse arrays are ideal candidates to perform volumetric imaging at reduced manufacturing complexity and cable count. However, due to the small number of transducer elements, sparse arrays often come with high clutter levels, especially when wide beams are transmitted to increase the frame rate. In this study, we demonstrate with a prototype sparse array probe and a diverging wave transmission strategy, that a uniform transmission field can be achieved. With the implementation of a spatial coherence beamformer, the background clutter signal can be effectively suppressed, leading to a signal to background ratio improvement of 25 dB. With this approach, we demonstrate the volumetric visualization of single microbubbles in a tissue-mimicking phantom as well as vasculature mapping in a live chicken embryo chorioallantoic membrane.
AB - Volumetric ultrasound imaging of blood flow with microbubbles enables a more complete visualization of the microvasculature. Sparse arrays are ideal candidates to perform volumetric imaging at reduced manufacturing complexity and cable count. However, due to the small number of transducer elements, sparse arrays often come with high clutter levels, especially when wide beams are transmitted to increase the frame rate. In this study, we demonstrate with a prototype sparse array probe and a diverging wave transmission strategy, that a uniform transmission field can be achieved. With the implementation of a spatial coherence beamformer, the background clutter signal can be effectively suppressed, leading to a signal to background ratio improvement of 25 dB. With this approach, we demonstrate the volumetric visualization of single microbubbles in a tissue-mimicking phantom as well as vasculature mapping in a live chicken embryo chorioallantoic membrane.
KW - Array signal processing
KW - Clutter
KW - Coherence beamforming
KW - high frame rate
KW - Imaging
KW - microbubbles
KW - Signal to noise ratio
KW - sparse array
KW - Spatial coherence
KW - Spirals
KW - Ultrasonic imaging
KW - volumetric imaging
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85107341599&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1109/TUFFC.2021.3086597
DO - 10.1109/TUFFC.2021.3086597
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85107341599
SN - 0885-3010
VL - 68
SP - 3069
EP - 3081
JO - IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control
JF - IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control
IS - 10
ER -