An Experimental 2 MHz Synthetic Aperture Sonar System Intended for Medical Use

Absfruct-Conventional B scan used in medical ultrasonic diagnosis has a low lateral resolution and difficulty in detecting specular reflectors. Synthetic aperture sonar is a hybrid between holography and B scan and offers a higher lateral resolution as well as better detection of tilted specular reflectors. A system working at 2 MHz (h = 0.75 mm) has been built. The system design is given and the important features of the electronic system as well as the optical processing are described. The system resolves two wires strung at a distance of 2 mm and is thus about one order of magnitude better than conventional B scan systems working at the same frequency.