scholarly journals A United Sign Coherence Factor Beamformer for Coherent Plane-Wave Compounding with Improved Contrast

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 2250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chen Yang ◽  
Yang Jiao ◽  
Tingyi Jiang ◽  
Yiwen Xu ◽  
Yaoyao Cui
Keyword(s):  
Image Quality ◽  
Plane Wave ◽  
Contrast Ratio ◽  
Spatial Coherence ◽  
Frame Rate ◽  
In Vivo Studies ◽  
Angular Dimension ◽  
One Dimensional ◽  
Coherence Factor

In this study, we present a united sign coherence factor beamformer for coherent plane-wave compounding (CPWC). CPWC is capable of reaching an image quality comparable to the conventional B-mode with a much higher frame rate. Conventional coherence factor (CF) based beamformers for CPWC are based on one-dimensional (1D) frameworks, either in the spatial coherence dimension or angular coherence dimension. Both 1D frameworks do not take into account the coherence information of the dimensions of each other. In order to take full advantage of the radio-frequency (RF) data, this paper proposes a united framework containing both spatial and angular information for CPWC. A united sign coherence factor beamformer (uSCF), which combines the conventional sign coherence factor (SCF) and the united framework, is introduced in the paper as well. The proposed beamformer is compared with the conventional 1D SCF beamformers (spatial and angular dimension beamformers) using simulation, phantom and in vivo studies. In the in vivo images, the proposed method improves the contrast ratio (CR) and generalized contrast-to-noise ratio (gCNR) by 197% and 20% over CPWC. Compared with other 1D methods, uSCF also shows an improved contrast and lateral resolution on all datasets.

scholarly journals 2-D Minimum Variance Based Plane Wave Compounding with Generalized Coherence Factor in Ultrafast Ultrasound Imaging

Sensors ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 4099 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanxing Qi ◽  
Yuanyuan Wang ◽  
Jinhua Yu ◽  
Yi Guo
Keyword(s):  
Plane Wave ◽  
Ultrasound Imaging ◽  
Contrast Ratio ◽  
Minimum Variance ◽  
Frame Rate ◽  
In Vivo Studies ◽  
Coherence Factor ◽  
Wave Imaging ◽  
Phantom Experiments

Plane wave compounding (PWC) is an effective modality for ultrafast ultrasound imaging. It can provide higher resolution and better noise reduction than plane wave imaging (PWI). In this paper, a novel beamformer integrating the two-dimensional (2-D) minimum variance (MV) with the generalized coherence factor (GCF) is proposed to maintain the high resolution and contrast along with a high frame rate for PWC. To specify, MV beamforming is adopted in both the transmitting aperture and the receiving one. The subarray technique is therefore upgraded into the sub-matrix division. Then, the output of each submatrix is used to adaptively compute the GCF using a 2-D fast Fourier transform (FFT). After the 2-D MV beamforming and the 2-D GCF weighting, the final output can be obtained. Results of simulations, phantom experiments, and in vivo studies confirm the advantages of the proposed method. Compared with the delay-and-sum (DAS) beamformer, the full width at half maximum (FWHM) is 90% smaller and the contrast ratio (CR) improvement is 154% in simulations. The over-suppression of desired signals, which is a typical drawback of the coherence factor (CF), can be effectively avoided. The robustness against sound velocity errors is also enhanced.

scholarly journals High Resolution, High Contrast Beamformer Using Minimum Variance and Plane Wave Nonlinear Compounding with Low Complexity

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 394
Author(s):  
Xin Yan ◽  
Yanxing Qi ◽  
Yinmeng Wang ◽  
Yuanyuan Wang
Keyword(s):  
Plane Wave ◽  
Dimensional Space ◽  
Contrast Ratio ◽  
Low Complexity ◽  
Minimum Variance ◽  
Frame Rate ◽  
Channel Noise ◽  
Length Estimation ◽  
Lower Dimensional Space

The plane wave compounding (PWC) is a promising modality to improve the imaging quality and maintain the high frame rate for ultrafast ultrasound imaging. In this paper, a novel beamforming method is proposed to achieve higher resolution and contrast with low complexity. A minimum variance (MV) weight calculated by the partial generalized sidelobe canceler is adopted to beamform the receiving array signals. The dimension reduction technique is introduced to project the data into lower dimensional space, which also contributes to a large subarray length. Estimation of multi-wave receiving covariance matrix is performed and then utilized to determine only one weight. Afterwards, a fast second-order reformulation of the delay multiply and sum (DMAS) is developed as nonlinear compounding to composite the beamforming output of multiple transmissions. Simulations, phantom, in vivo, and robustness experiments were carried out to evaluate the performance of the proposed method. Compared with the delay and sum (DAS) beamformer, the proposed method achieved 86.3% narrower main lobe width and 112% higher contrast ratio in simulations. The robustness to the channel noise of the proposed method is effectively enhanced at the same time. Furthermore, it maintains a linear computational complexity, which means that it has the potential to be implemented for real-time response.

scholarly journals Two-Dimensional Spatial Coherence for Ultrasonic DMAS Beamforming in Multi-Angle Plane-Wave Imaging

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (19) ◽  
pp. 3973 ◽  
Author(s):  
Che-Chou Shen ◽  
Pei-Ying Hsieh
Keyword(s):  
Image Quality ◽  
Plane Wave ◽  
Spatial Coherence ◽  
P Value ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
One Dimensional ◽  
Wave Imaging ◽  
Artifact Suppression ◽  
Simulation Results ◽  
Acquisition Delay

Ultrasonic multi-angle plane-wave (PW) coherent compounding relies on delay-and-sum (DAS) beamforming of two-dimensional (2D) echo matrix in both the dimensions PW transmit angle and receiving channel to construct each image pixel. Due to the characteristics of DAS beamforming, PW coherent compounding may suffer from high image clutter when the number of transmit angles is kept low for ultrafast image acquisition. Delay-multiply-and-sum (DMAS) beamforming exploits the spatial coherence of the receiving aperture to suppress clutter interference. Previous attempts to introduce DMAS beamforming into multi-angle PW imaging has been reported but only in either dimension of the 2D echo matrix. In this study, a novel DMAS operation is proposed to extract the 2D spatial coherence of echo matrix for further improvement of image quality. The proposed 2D-DMAS method relies on a flexibly tunable p value to manipulate the signal coherence in the beamforming output. For p = 2.0 as an example, simulation results indicate that 2D-DMAS outperforms other one-dimensional DMAS methods by at least 9.3 dB in terms of ghost-artifact suppression. Experimental results also show that 2D-DMAS provides the highest improvement in lateral resolution by 32% and in image contrast by 15.6 dB relative to conventional 2D-DAS beamforming. Nonetheless, since 2D-DMAS emphasizes signal coherence more than its one-dimensional DMAS counterparts, it suffers from the most elevated speckle variation and the granular pattern in the tissue background.

scholarly journals Acoustic-Field Beamforming-Based Generalized Coherence Factor for Handheld Ultrasound

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 560
Author(s):  
Chang-Lin Hu ◽  
Chien-Ju Li ◽  
I-Cheng Cheng ◽  
Peng-Zhi Sun ◽  
Brian Hsu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Image Quality ◽  
Acoustic Field ◽  
Contrast Ratio ◽  
Electricity Consumption ◽  
Adaptive Beamforming ◽  
Coherence Factor ◽  
In Vivo Testing ◽  
Handheld Ultrasound ◽  
Diagnostic Applications

Handheld ultrasound devices have been widely used for diagnostic applications. The use of the acoustic-field beamforming (AFB) method has been proposed for handheld ultrasound to reduce electricity consumption and avoid battery and unwanted heat issues. However, the image quality, such as the contrast ratio and contrast-to-noise-ratio, are poorer with this technique than with the conventional delay-and-sum method. To address the problems associated with the worse image quality in AFB imaging, in this paper we propose the use of an AFB-based generalized coherence factor (GCF) technique, in which the GCF weighting developed for adaptive beamforming is extended to AFB. Simulation data, experimental results, and in vivo testing verified the efficacy of our proposed AFB-based GCF technique.

Comparative investigation of coherence factor weighting methods for an annular array photoacoustic microscope

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riku Suzuki ◽  
Ryo Shintate ◽  
Takuro Ishii ◽  
Yoshifumi Saijo
Keyword(s):  
Image Quality ◽  
Noise Suppression ◽  
Contrast Ratio ◽  
Comparative Investigation ◽  
Phase Coherence ◽  
Annular Array ◽  
Coherence Factor ◽  
Array Transducer ◽  
Weighting Methods

Abstract To achieve fine visualization of the peripheral microvascular networks, we have developed a photoacoustic (PA) microscope equipped with a four-channel annular array transducer. The quality of PA images processed with Delay-and-Sum (DAS) method is degraded by off-axis signals. Thus, to achieve higher image quality for the PA microscope, this study evaluated the efficacy of the five coherence factor weighting methods: coherence factor, sign coherence factor, phase coherence factor, circular coherence factor, and vector coherence factor. Using PA signals acquired from a 100 µm microtube and the skin microvessels, we generated PA images with DAS and one of the weighting methods, and quantitatively evaluated the image quality by calculating the sharpness, contrast ratio, and contrast-to-noise ratio. The results showed the phase coherence factor and the vector coherence factor methods were more effective to clearly visualize the microvascular structure, in terms of vessel sharpening and noise suppression performances, than the other methods.

scholarly journals Effect of Transmit Beamforming on Clutter Levels in Transthoracic Echocardiography

2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 215-231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vaibhav Kakkad ◽  
Melissa LeFevre ◽  
Kingshuk Roy Choudhury ◽  
Joseph Kisslo ◽  
Gregg E. Trahey
Keyword(s):  
Image Quality ◽  
Ultrasound Imaging ◽  
Interventricular Septum ◽  
Frame Rate ◽  
Strong Impact ◽  
Transmit Beamforming ◽  
Fundamental Plane ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
The Impact

Transmit beamforming has a strong impact on several factors that govern image quality, field-of-view, and frame-rate in ultrasound imaging. For cardiac applications, the visualization of fine structures and the ability to track their motion is equally important. Consequently, beamforming choices for echocardiography aim to optimize these trade-offs. Acoustic clutter can dramatically impact image quality and degrade the diagnostic value of cardiac ultrasound imaging. Clutter levels, however, are closely tied to the choice of beamforming configuration. This study aims to quantify the impact of transmit beamforming on clutter levels under in vivo conditions. The performance of focused as well as plane wave transmit configurations in fundamental and harmonic modes is evaluated under matched conditions. Contrast between the cardiac chambers and the interventricular septum is used as a surrogate for the level of clutter in a given imaging scenario. Under in vivo conditions, contrast was found to improve incrementally across the four beamforming configurations in the following order: fundamental-plane, fundamental-focused, harmonic-plane, and harmonic-focused. Using the fundamental-focused configuration as a reference, the harmonic-plane and harmonic-focused cases showed improvements in median contrast of 2.97 dB and 6.1 dB, respectively, while the fundamental-plane case showed a contrast deterioration of 1.23 dB. Contrast was also found to vary systematically as a function of imaging depth. Median contrast for the right ventricle (shallow chamber) was measured to be 2.96 dB lower than that in the left ventricle (deep chamber).

scholarly journals Toxicity of Zero- and One-Dimensional Carbon Nanomaterials

Nanomaterials ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 1214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iruthayapandi Selestin Raja ◽  
Su-Jin Song ◽  
Moon Sung Kang ◽  
Yu Bin Lee ◽  
Bongju Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quantum Dot ◽  
Carbon Nanomaterials ◽  
Volume Ratio ◽  
In Vivo Studies ◽  
In Vitro Toxicity ◽  
One Dimensional ◽  
Multi Walled Carbon Nanotubes ◽  
Living Organisms

The zero (0-D) and one-dimensional (1-D) carbon nanomaterials have gained attention among researchers because they exhibit a larger surface area to volume ratio, and a smaller size. Furthermore, carbon is ubiquitously present in all living organisms. However, toxicity is a major concern while utilizing carbon nanomaterials for biomedical applications such as drug delivery, biosensing, and tissue regeneration. In the present review, we have summarized some of the recent findings of cellular and animal level toxicity studies of 0-D (carbon quantum dot, graphene quantum dot, nanodiamond, and carbon black) and 1-D (single-walled and multi-walled carbon nanotubes) carbon nanomaterials. The in vitro toxicity of carbon nanomaterials was exemplified in normal and cancer cell lines including fibroblasts, osteoblasts, macrophages, epithelial and endothelial cells of different sources. Similarly, the in vivo studies were illustrated in several animal species such as rats, mice, zebrafish, planktons and, guinea pigs, at various concentrations, route of administrations and exposure of nanoparticles. In addition, we have described the unique properties and commercial usage, as well as the similarities and differences among the nanoparticles. The aim of the current review is not only to signify the importance of studying the toxicity of 0-D and 1-D carbon nanomaterials, but also to emphasize the perspectives, future challenges and possible directions in the field.

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