Evaluation of Post Wall Filter for Doppler Ultrasound Systems

Recent advances in digital devices permit high-performance signal processing to be performed with ease. In conventional Doppler ultrasound examinations, the weak blood flow signals are separated from clutter signals, such as those from the cardiac valves and walls, using a time domain pre wall filter in order to avoid saturation of the subsequent frequency analyzer. At this time, due to the expanded dynamic range in signal processing, we have conducted investigations to determine whether it is possible to eliminate the pre wall filter and replace it with a post wall filter after the frequency analyzer. The results of these investigations showed that it is possible to obtain frequency characteristics equivalent to those obtained with a pre wall filter by compensating for the sampling function in frequency analysis processing and simplifying Doppler signal processing. Moreover, it was found that both blood inflow signals and mitral valve motion in the left ventricle can be observed without saturation, confirming the feasibility of real-time simultaneous display using a post wall filter.

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