Subwavelength motion-correction for ultrafast ultrasound localization microscopy

• Published in: Ultrasonics 2017-05, Vol.77, p.17-21
• Main Authors: Hingot, Vincent, Errico, Claudia, Tanter, Mickael, Couture, Olivier
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Computer Science; Medical Imaging; Phase correlation; Spatio-temporal filters; Subwavelength motion correction; Ultrafast Ultrasound Localization Microscopy
• ISSN: 0041-624X; 1874-9968
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ultras.2017.01.008

•A subwavelength motion correction for ultrasound localization microscopy is proposed.•It relies on a phase correlation tracking of tissue dominated images.•It corrects motions with the same resolution as ultrasound localization microscopy.•It is a first step towards super-resolution imaging in moving tissues. Ultrafast Ultrasound Localization Microscopy uses microbubbles that are individually localized with a resolution below 10μm. Positions of the microbubbles are accumulated to create a super resolution image, which bypass the diffraction-limit of spatial resolution. However, microbubbles localization is affected by physiological motions at the micrometric scale. Here, we demonstrate a phase correlation method for rigid motion correction. Spatiotemporal filters extract tissue dominated images, which are tracked to correct linear motions and improve the precision of microbubbles’ localization, improving the quality of the image. It is the first proof of concept towards a full motion correction strategy and super-resolution imaging in moving tissues.