The general properties including accuracy and resolution of linear filtering methods for strain estimation

The vast majority of strain imaging systems applies linear filtering to estimate strain from displacement data. Methods such as piecewise-linear least squares regression and staggered strain estimation have come to be widely known and applied, but the properties of these estimators have rarely (or never) been compared quantitatively. Given their tractable properties, careful analysis of linear filters allows us to make numerous observations that are simple, yet valuable. We consider accuracy and resolving power, which raises the question of whether any particular filter offers the best possible accuracy at a given resolution. Our surprising results provide insight at two levels: They highlight general considerations affecting the type of filter that is appropriate for practical applications, and indicate promising avenues for further research.

[1]  M. O’Donnell,et al.  Internal displacement and strain imaging using ultrasonic speckle tracking , 1994, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.

[2]  Jonathan Ophir,et al.  The feasibility of using elastography for imaging the Poisson's ratio in porous media. , 2004, Ultrasound in medicine & biology.

[3]  Jing Bai,et al.  Axial strain calculation using a low-pass digital differentiator in ultrasound elastography , 2004, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.

[4]  Jonathan Ophir,et al.  A New Method for Generating Poroelastograms in Noisy Environments , 2005, Ultrasonic imaging.

[5]  Jonathan Ophir,et al.  Visualization of bonding at an inclusion boundary using axial-shear strain elastography: a feasibility study , 2007, Physics in medicine and biology.

[6]  T. Varghese,et al.  Two-dimensional multi-level strain estimation for discontinuous tissue , 2007, Physics in medicine and biology.

[7]  Frédérique Frouin,et al.  Ultrasound elastography based on multiscale estimations of regularized displacement fields , 2004, IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging.

[8]  Jonathan Ophir,et al.  A method for generating permeability elastograms and Poisson's ratio time-constant elastograms. , 2005, Ultrasound in medicine & biology.

[9]  F. Kallel,et al.  A Least-Squares Strain Estimator for Elastography , 1997, Ultrasonic imaging.

[10]  Thomas F. Budinger,et al.  The Use of Filtering Methods to Compensate for Constant Attenuation in Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography , 1981, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.

[11]  B. Silverman,et al.  Nonparametric Regression and Generalized Linear Models: A roughness penalty approach , 1993 .

[12]  Jonathan Ophir,et al.  The feasibility of estimating and imaging the mechanical behavior of poroelastic materials using axial strain elastography. , 2007, Physics in medicine and biology.

[13]  J. Hossack,et al.  3D prostate elastography: algorithm, simulations and experiments , 2007, Physics in medicine and biology.

[14]  M. Doyley,et al.  A freehand elastographic imaging approach for clinical breast imaging: system development and performance evaluation. , 2001, Ultrasound in medicine & biology.

[15]  B. Silverman,et al.  Nonparametric Regression and Generalized Linear Models: A roughness penalty approach , 1993 .

[16]  Michel Bertrand,et al.  Monitoring the formation of thermal lesions with heat-induced echo-strain imaging: a feasibility study. , 2005, Ultrasound in medicine & biology.

[17]  J. Ophir,et al.  Theoretical bounds on strain estimation in elastography , 1995, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.

[18]  J Ophir,et al.  Elastographic Imaging Using Staggered Strain Estimates , 2002, Ultrasonic imaging.

[19]  Richard W Prager,et al.  Dynamic resolution selection in ultrasonic strain imaging. , 2008, Ultrasound in medicine & biology.

[20]  G. Josse,et al.  In-vivo imaging of skin under stress: potential of high-frequency (20 MHz) static 2-D elastography , 2006, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control.