Low-cost, high-speed back-end processing system for high-frequency ultrasound B-mode imaging

For real-time visualization of the mouse heart (6 to 13 beats per second), a back-end processing system involving high-speed signal processing functions to form and display images has been developed. This back-end system was designed with new signal processing algorithms to achieve a frame rate of more than 400 images per second. These algorithms were implemented in a simple and cost-effective manner with a single field-programmable gate array (FPGA) and software programs written in C++. The operating speed of the back-end system was investigated by recording the time required for transferring an image to a personal computer. Experimental results showed that the back-end system is capable of producing 433 images per second. To evaluate the imaging performance of the back-end system, a complete imaging system was built. This imaging system, which consisted of a recently reported highspeed mechanical sector scanner assembled with the back-end system, was tested by imaging a wire phantom, a pig eye (in vitro), and a mouse heart (in vivo). It was shown that this system is capable of providing high spatial resolution images with fast temporal resolution.

[1]  J.A. Johnson,et al.  A High-Frame Rate High-Frequency Ultrasonic System for Cardiac Imaging in Mice , 2007, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.

[2]  Andrew Needles,et al.  Ultrahigh frame rate retrospective ultrasound microimaging and blood flow visualization in mice in vivo. , 2006, Ultrasound in medicine & biology.

[3]  J. Yen,et al.  A Novel Envelope Detector for High-Frame Rate, High-Frequency Ultrasound Imaging , 2007, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.

[4]  Jin Ho Chang,et al.  2F-3 Design of 20 MHz Convex Array Transducers for High Frequency Ophthalmic Imaging , 2007, 2007 IEEE Ultrasonics Symposium Proceedings.

[5]  Pai-Chi Li,et al.  ECG triggering and gating for ultrasonic small animal imaging , 2006, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.

[6]  F. Foster,et al.  Principles and applications of ultrasound backscatter microscopy , 1993, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.

[7]  Chang-Hong Hu,et al.  High-frequency high frame rate ultrasound imaging system for small animal imaging with linear arrays , 2005, IEEE Ultrasonics Symposium, 2005..

[8]  D. A. Christopher,et al.  Advances in ultrasound biomicroscopy. , 2000, Ultrasound in medicine & biology.

[9]  Song Bai Park,et al.  Analysis of a Scan Conversion Algorithm for a Real-Time Sector Scanner , 1986, IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging.

[10]  K. Shung,et al.  Diagnostic Ultrasound: Imaging and Blood Flow Measurements , 2005 .

[11]  M. Blomley,et al.  The role of ultrasound in molecular imaging. , 2003, The British journal of radiology.

[12]  H. Larsen,et al.  An Image Display Algorithm for Use in Real-Time Sector Scanners with Digital Scan Converters , 1980 .

[13]  R. M. Arthur,et al.  Real-time ultrasonic scan conversion via linear interpolation of oversampled vectors. , 1994, Ultrasonic imaging.

[14]  H. Ermert,et al.  A 100-MHz ultrasound imaging system for dermatologic and ophthalmologic diagnostics , 1996, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.

[15]  K. Boone,et al.  Effect of skin impedance on image quality and variability in electrical impedance tomography: a model study , 1996, Medical and Biological Engineering and Computing.

[16]  K Kramer,et al.  Use of telemetry to record electrocardiogram and heart rate in freely moving mice. , 1993, Journal of pharmacological and toxicological methods.

[17]  K. Shung,et al.  Design of efficient, broadband single-element (20-80 MHz) ultrasonic transducers for medical imaging applications , 2003, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.

[18]  F. Dunn,et al.  Acoustic properties of selected bovine tissues in the frequency range 20-200 MHz. , 1995, Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.