Sources of image degradation in fundamental and harmonic ultrasound imaging: a nonlinear, full-wave, simulation study.

A full-wave equation that describes nonlinear propagation in a heterogeneous attenuating medium is solved numerically with finite differences in the time domain. This numerical method is used to simulate propagation of a diagnostic ultrasound pulse through a measured representation of the human abdomen with heterogeneities in speed of sound, attenuation, density, and nonlinearity. Conventional delay-and-sum beamforming is used to generate point spread functions (PSFs) that display the effects of these heterogeneities. For the particular imaging configuration that is modeled, these PSFs reveal that the primary source of degradation in fundamental imaging is due to reverberation from near-field structures. Compared with fundamental imaging, reverberation clutter in harmonic imaging is 27.1 dB lower. Simulated tissue with uniform velocity but unchanged impedance characteristics indicates that for harmonic imaging, the primary source of degradation is phase aberration.

[1]  F. Dunn,et al.  Comprehensive compilation of empirical ultrasonic properties of mammalian tissues. , 1978, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[2]  F. Dunn,et al.  Compilation of empirical ultrasonic properties of mammalian tissues. II. , 1980, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[3]  G.E. Trahey,et al.  Adaptive imaging on a diagnostic ultrasound scanner at quasi real-time rates , 2006, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.

[4]  Qing Huo Liu,et al.  PERFECTLY MATCHED LAYERS FOR ELASTODYNAMICS: A NEW ABSORBING BOUNDARY CONDITION , 1996 .

[5]  R. Lang,et al.  Use of harmonic imaging without echocardiographic contrast to improve two-dimensional image quality. , 1998, The American journal of cardiology.

[6]  Yadong Li,et al.  Regular Issue Papers Computer Model for Harmonic Ultrasound Imaging , 2000 .

[7]  井上 良紀,et al.  流体力学用語集 非線形音響学(Nonlinear acoustics) , 1995 .

[8]  R.S. Lewandowski,et al.  Improved in vivo abdominal image quality using real-time estimation and correction of wavefront arrival time errors , 2000, 2000 IEEE Ultrasonics Symposium. Proceedings. An International Symposium (Cat. No.00CH37121).

[9]  B Gorman,et al.  Comparison of tissue harmonic imaging with conventional US in abdominal disease. , 2000, Radiographics : a review publication of the Radiological Society of North America, Inc.

[10]  J. Arendt.  Paper presented at the 10th Nordic-Baltic Conference on Biomedical Imaging: Field: A Program for Simulating Ultrasound Systems , 1996 .

[11]  J D Thomas,et al.  Tissue harmonic imaging: why does it work? , 1998, Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography : official publication of the American Society of Echocardiography.

[12]  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.

[13]  M. O’Donnell,et al.  Quantitative ultrasonic backscatter measurements in the presence of phase distortion , 1982 .

[14]  T. D. Mast,et al.  Simulation of ultrasonic focus aberration and correction through human tissue. , 2002, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[15]  R C Waag,et al.  Measurements of ultrasonic pulse arrival time and energy level variations produced by propagation through abdominal wall. , 1994, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[16]  Bernard D. Steinberg,et al.  Large-Transducer Measurements of Wavefront Distortion in the Female Breast , 1992 .

[17]  T. Desser,et al.  Tissue harmonic imaging: Utility in abdominal and pelvic sonography , 1999, Journal of clinical ultrasound : JCU.

[18]  L Pourcelot,et al.  Clinical use of ultrasound tissue harmonic imaging. , 1999, Ultrasound in medicine & biology.

[19]  G. Trahey,et al.  A heterogeneous nonlinear attenuating full- wave model of ultrasound , 2009, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.

[20]  Jean-Pierre Berenger,et al.  A perfectly matched layer for the absorption of electromagnetic waves , 1994 .

[21]  T. Douglas Mast.  Two- and three-dimensional simulations of ultrasonic propagation through human breast tissue , 2002 .

[22]  Thomas L. Szabo,et al.  Diagnostic Ultrasound Imaging: Inside Out , 2004 .

[23]  W. Harer,et al.  Degradation of Image Quality by Sound Velocity Fluctuations and Its Dependence on the Aperture Size , 1987, IEEE 1987 Ultrasonics Symposium.

[24]  F. Foster,et al.  Simulation of B-scan images from two-dimensional transducer arrays: Part II--Comparisons between linear and two-dimensional phased arrays. , 1992, Ultrasonic imaging.

[25]  M. Averkiou,et al.  Tissue harmonic imaging , 2000, 2000 IEEE Ultrasonics Symposium. Proceedings. An International Symposium (Cat. No.00CH37121).

[26]  M O'Donnell,et al.  Phase Aberration Measurements in Medical Ultrasound: Human Studies , 1988, Ultrasonic imaging.

[27]  I. Schnittger,et al.  Native tissue harmonic imaging improves endocardial border definition and visualization of cardiac structures. , 1998, Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography : official publication of the American Society of Echocardiography.

[28]  Gianmarco Pinton,et al.  Numerical methods for nonlinear wave propagation in ultrasound , 2007 .

[29]  Robin O. Cleveland,et al.  Comparison of mechanisms involved in image enhancement of Tissue Harmonic Imaging , 2006 .

[30]  R C Waag,et al.  Measurements of ultrasonic pulse distortion produced by human chest wall , 1995 .

[31]  D C Sullivan,et al.  Two dimensional ultrasonic beam distortion in the breast: in vivo measurements and effects. , 1992, Ultrasonic imaging.

[32]  Gregg E. Trahey,et al.  Large aperture phase error measurement and effects , 1992, IEEE 1992 Ultrasonics Symposium Proceedings.

[33]  G. Trahey,et al.  Sources of image degradation in fundamental and harmonic ultrasound imaging using nonlinear, full-wave simulations , 2011, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.

[34]  G. Trahey,et al.  In Vivo Measurements of Ultrasonic Beam Distortion in the Breast , 1991 .

[35]  T. Christopher,et al.  Experimental investigation of finite amplitude distortion-based, second harmonic pulse echo ultrasonic imaging , 1998, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.

[36]  V F Humphrey,et al.  Nonlinear propagation in ultrasonic fields: measurements, modelling and harmonic imaging. , 2000, Ultrasonics.

[37]  P. J. Westervelt.  Parametric Acoustic Array , 1963 .

[38]  T. Varslot,et al.  Computer simulation of forward wave propagation in soft tissue , 2005, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.

[39]  T. D. Mast,et al.  Simulation of ultrasonic pulse propagation through the abdominal wall. , 1997, The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

[40]  J.G. Miller,et al.  Experimental comparisons of the impact of abdominal wall aberrators on linear and nonlinear beam patterns , 2004, IEEE Ultrasonics Symposium, 2004.

[41]  T. Varslot,et al.  Aberration in nonlinear acoustic wave propagation , 2007, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.

[42]  T. Christopher.  Finite amplitude distortion-based inhomogeneous pulse echo ultrasonic imaging , 1997, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.

[43]  Charles Bradley.  Mechanisms of Image Quality Improvement in Tissue Harmonic Imaging , 2006 .

[44]  Qing Huo Liu,et al.  The perfectly matched layer for acoustic waves in absorptive media , 1997 .

[45]  Robert C. Waag,et al.  Modified Gomori Trichrome Stain for Macroscopic Tissue Slices , 1996 .

[46]  F. Duck.  Nonlinear acoustics in diagnostic ultrasound. , 2002, Ultrasound in medicine & biology.