In vitro and in vivo real-time imaging with ultrasonic limited diffraction beams

Recently, there has been great interest in a new class of solutions to the isotropic/homogeneous scaler wave equation which represents localized waves or limited diffraction beams in electromagnetics, optics, and acoustics. Applications of these solutions to ultrasonic medical imaging, tissue characterization, and nondestructive evaluation of materials have also been reported. The authors report a real-time medical imager which uses limited diffraction Bessel beams, X-waves, Axicons, or conventional beams. Results (in vitro and in vivo) show that the images obtained with limited diffraction beams have higher resolution and good contrast over larger depth of field compared to images obtained with conventional focused beams. These results suggest the potential clinical usefulness of limited diffraction beams.

[1]  Heinz Hoffmann,et al.  Ultrasound Axicon: a device for focusing over a large depth , 1973 .

[2]  L. Vicari.  Truncation of non diffracting beams , 1989 .

[3]  J F Greenleaf,et al.  Producing deep depth of field and depth-independent resolution in NDE with limited diffraction beams. , 1993, Ultrasonic imaging.

[4]  Cook,et al.  Evidence of localized wave transmission. , 1989, Physical review letters.

[5]  Mehran Moshfeghi,et al.  Sidelobe suppression in annular array and axicon imaging systems , 1988 .

[6]  James F. Greenleaf,et al.  Formation and Propagation of Limited Diffraction Beams , 1993 .

[7]  J.T.M. Verhoeven,et al.  Front-end for echographic image processing , 1991 .

[8]  J. Greenleaf,et al.  Experimental verification of nondiffracting X waves , 1992, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.

[9]  D. Dietz,et al.  Apodized Conical Focusing for Ultrasound Imaging , 1982, IEEE Transactions on Sonics and Ultrasonics.

[10]  James F. Greenleaf,et al.  Nonlinearity of a composite relaxor ferroelectric transducer , 1992, SPIE Optics + Photonics.

[11]  J. F. Greenleaf,et al.  Regular ArticleProducing Deep Depth of Field and Depth-Independent Resolution in NDE with Limited Diffraction Beams , 1993 .

[12]  J. Greenleaf,et al.  Nondiffracting X waves-exact solutions to free-space scalar wave equation and their finite aperture realizations , 1992, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.

[13]  J F Greenleaf,et al.  Pulse-echo imaging using a nondiffracting beam transducer. , 1991, Ultrasound in medicine & biology.

[14]  M. Fatemi,et al.  A novel imaging system based on nondiffracting X waves , 1992, IEEE 1992 Ultrasonics Symposium Proceedings.

[15]  H. Shimizu,et al.  Conical and Toroidal Piezoelectric Polymer Transducers for Long Range Focusing , 1982 .

[16]  H. Kikuchi,et al.  Generation of nearly diffraction-free laser beams , 1989 .

[17]  Miceli,et al.  Diffraction-free beams. , 1987, Physical review letters.

[18]  M. S. Zubairy,et al.  Directionality of partially coherent Bessel-Gauss beams☆ , 1989 .

[19]  Richard W. Ziolkowski,et al.  Exact solutions of the wave equation with complex source locations , 1985 .

[20]  J. Brittingham,et al.  Focus waves modes in homogeneous Maxwell’s equations: Transverse electric mode , 1983 .

[21]  J. F. Greenleaf,et al.  Modified X Waves with Improved Field Properties , 1993 .

[22]  James A. Campbell,et al.  Generation of a nondiffracting beam with frequency‐ independent beamwidth , 1990 .

[23]  David K. Hsu,et al.  Bessel beam ultrasonic transducer: Fabrication method and experimental results , 1989 .

[24]  Thomas C. Marshall,et al.  “Diffraction-free” optical beams in inverse free electron laser accelerators , 1988 .

[25]  Shiro Fujiwara,et al.  Optical Properties of Conic Surfaces. I. Reflecting Cone , 1962 .

[26]  Franco Gori,et al.  Modal expansion for J0-correlated Schell-model sources , 1987 .

[27]  J. Durnin.  Exact solutions for nondiffracting beams. I. The scalar theory , 1987 .

[28]  James F. Greenleaf,et al.  Steering of limited diffraction beams with a two-dimensional array transducer , 1992, IEEE 1992 Ultrasonics Symposium Proceedings.

[29]  Guy Indebetouw,et al.  Nondiffracting optical fields: some remarks on their analysis and synthesis , 1989 .

[30]  J. Greenleaf,et al.  Evaluation of a nondiffracting transducer for tissue characterization , 1990, IEEE Symposium on Ultrasonics.

[31]  J. Mcleod.  The Axicon: A New Type of Optical Element , 1954 .

[32]  J. Greenleaf,et al.  Theory and acoustic experiments of nondiffracting X-waves (medical US imaging application) , 1991, IEEE 1991 Ultrasonics Symposium,.

[33]  F. Foster,et al.  Acoustic Fields of Conical Radiators , 1982, IEEE Transactions on Sonics and Ultrasonics.

[34]  J. Greenleaf,et al.  Ultrasonic nondiffracting transducer for medical imaging , 1990, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.