Abstract
Waveform synthesis for pulse-echo medical ultrasonic imaging, in conjunction with post-beamforming filtering, will undoubtedly play an important role in defining the ultimate quality of the next generation of medical ultrasonic imaging. Two important applications that will rely heavily on appropriate waveform synthesis are contrast-assisted imaging and multi-modal high-speed imaging with parallel processing of multiple image lines using coded excitation and filterbank reconstruction. In this paper, we address the issue of beam-space waveform synthesis using ultrasound phased arrays typically used in medical pulse-echo imaging applications. Simulation and experimental results will be presented to illustrate the role of the transducer aperture and bandwidth characteristics in the waveform synthesis. Furthermore, we generalize the concept of point-spread function (PSF) to allow for the post-beamforming filter-based image reconstruction. We show experimentally that these PSFs serve as a reliable predictor of the image quality for multi-modal pulse-echo imaging systems employing post-beamforming filter-based reconstruction. Combined with a computationally efficient Fourier-based method for their derivation, these PSFs thus serve as a powerful tool in the design and optimization of coded waveforms for pulse-echo imaging applications. A description of the waveform synthesis algorithm will be given along with illustrative examples using computer simulations and experimental results from tissue-mimicking phantoms.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 94-101 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering |
Volume | 4325 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2001 |