A parallel tracking method for acoustic radiation force impulse imaging

• Published in: IEEE transactions on ultrasonics, ferroelectrics, and frequency control ferroelectrics, and frequency control, 2007-02, Vol.54 (2), p.301-312
• Main Authors: Dahl, J.J., Pinton, G.F., Palmeri, M.L., Agrawal, V., Nightingale, K.R., Trahey, G.E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acoustic beams; Acoustic imaging; Acoustic pulses; Acoustic signal processing; Acoustic transducers; Acoustics; Algorithms; Array signal processing; Beams (radiation); Biological and medical sciences; Computer Simulation; Data acquisition; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); General equipment and techniques; Heat transfer; Heating; Humans; Image Enhancement - methods; Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted - methods; Imaging; Instruments, apparatus, components and techniques common to several branches of physics and astronomy; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); Mechanical factors; Medical sciences; Miscellaneous. Technology; Models, Biological; Movement - physiology; Patients; Phantoms, Imaging; Physics; Real time; Reproducibility of Results; Safety; Sensitivity and Specificity; Sequencing; Stress, Mechanical; Tracking; Transducers; Ultrasonic investigative techniques; Ultrasonics, quantum acoustics, and physical effects of sound; Ultrasonography - methods
• ISSN: 0885-3010; 1525-8955
• DOI: 10.1109/TUFFC.2007.244

Radiation force-based techniques have been developed by several groups for imaging the mechanical properties of tissue. Acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) imaging is one such method that uses commercially available scanners to generate localized radiation forces in tissue. The response of the tissue to the radiation force is determined using conventional B-mode imaging pulses to track micron-scale displacements in tissue. Current research in ARFI imaging is focused on producing real-time images of tissue displacements arid related mechanical properties. Obstacles to producing a real-time ARFl imaging modality include data acquisition, processing power, data transfer rates, heating of the transducer, and patient safety concerns. We propose a parallel receive beamforming technique to reduce transducer heating and patient acoustic exposure, and to facilitate data acquisition for real-time ARFI imaging. Custom beam sequencing was used with a commercially available scanner to track tissue displacements with parallel-receive beamforming in tissue-mimicking phantoms. Using simulations, the effects of material properties on parallel tracking are observed. Transducer and tissue heating for parallel tracking are compared to standard ARFI beam sequencing. The effects of tracking beam position and size of the tracked region are also discussed in relation to the size and temporal response of the region of applied force, and the impact on ARFI image contrast arid signal-to-noise ratio are quantified