A Streamlined Method for Placement of Diverging-Wave Virtual Sources for Ultrafast Ultrasound Imaging

Abstract

Ultrasound array probes can transmit diverging wavefronts from virtual source (VS) locations behind the array to obtain ultrafast compounded images with a broad field-of-view, but determining a practical set of diverging-wave VS locations is non-trivial, given the infinite half-plane of possibilities. In this work, we propose VS placement at a constant radial distance r from the array origin, and we compare this to a previous (and less direct) method of VS placement at a constant opening angle ? relative to the ends of the array. Each method was implemented in Field II with a 64?element, 2.7?MHz phased-array geometry to simulate point-spread functions (PSFs) at regular 10?mm intervals over the field-of-view; the lateral and axial resolution, peak side-to-main lobe amplitude ratio (PSMR), and maximum amplitude of each PSF were measured. Each method was also implemented on a research scanner with a corresponding probe to acquire images of a tissue-mimicking phantom for comparison. Results from both methods in simulation and phantom experiments showed that the increase in PSF lateral resolution with range was consistent (?38?µm/mm) and the mean axial resolution agreed within 0.01?mm; mean differences in PSMR and amplitude were <5% and <4%, respectively. Generalized contrast-to-noise ratio (gCNR) was highest for the constant-?2 method, with differences between methods within?±1%. These results indicate that, relative to the constant-? method, comparable image quality can be achieved with a streamlined constant-r method of VS placement for diverging-wave ultrafast imaging.

Publication Title

Ultrasonic Imaging

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