Biomedical subjects

G E Trahey

Publications and source records attributed to G E Trahey.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2001

In vivo breast tissue backscatter measurements with 7.5- and 10-MHz transducers.

Measurements of the ultrasound (US) backscatter coefficient (BSC) of fibroglandular and fatty breast tissues in vivo from 5.25 through 13 MHz, using the reference phantom method, are presented. Radiofrequency echo data were collected at a series of locations in the left breasts of 16 adults, age 46 to 84, and in a custom-built phantom calibrated for backscatter and attenuation. Matched regions of interest (ROIs) were then selected in these images, from which the backscatter coefficient and the backscatter frequency dependence were ratiometrically estimated, after compensation for attenuation. The mean results in fibroglandular tissues were 78.9 x 10(-3)/cm, sr at 7.2 MHz (n(ROI) = 43, n = 13) and 146 x 10(-3)/cm, sr at 10.3 MHz (n(ROI) = 19, n = 10) with frequency dependencies of f(2.28) and f(3.25). The corresponding results in subcutaneous fat were 2.59 x 10(-3)/cm, sr at 7.2 MHz (n(ROI) = 56, n = 16) and 7.08 x 10(-3)/cm, sr at 10.3 MHz (n(ROI) = 57, n = 16) with frequency dependencies of f(3.49) and f(3.43). These findings are discussed and compared to similar measurements in the literature.

Adipose Tissue↗

PubMed2001

2-D motion estimation using two parallel receive beams.

We describe a method for estimating 2-D target motion using ultrasound. The method is based on previous ensemble tracking techniques, which required at least four parallel receive beams and 2-D pattern matching. In contrast, the method described requires only two parallel receive beams and 1-D pattern matching. Two 1-D searches are performed, one in each lateral direction. The direction yielding the best match indicates the lateral direction of motion. Interpolation provides sub-pixel magnitude resolution. We compared the two beam method with the four beam method using a translating speckle target at three different parallel beam steering angles and transducer angles of 0, 45, and 90 degrees. The largest differences were found at 90 degrees, where the two beam method was generally more accurate and precise than the four beam method and also less prone to directional errors at small translations. We also examined the performance of both methods in a laminar flow phantom. Results indicated that the two beam method was more accurate in measuring the flow angle when the flow velocity was small. Computer simulations supported the experimental findings. The poorer performance of the four beam method was attributed to differences in correlation among the parallel beams. Specifically, center beams 2 and 3 correlated better with each other than with the outer beams. Because the four beam method used a comparison of a kernel region in beam pair 2-3 with two different beam pairs 1-2 and 3-4, the 2-to-1 and 3-to-4 components of this comparison increased the incidence of directional errors, especially at small translations. The two beam method used a comparison between only two beams and so was not subject to this source of error. Finally, the two beam method did not require amplitude normalization, as was necessary for the four beam method, when the two beams were chosen symmetric to the transmit axis. We conclude that two beam ensemble tracking can accurately estimate motion using only two parallel receive beams.

Biomedical Engineering↗

PubMed2001

On the feasibility of remote palpation using acoustic radiation force.

A method of acoustic remote palpation, capable of imaging local variations in the mechanical properties of tissue, is under investigation. In this method, focused ultrasound is used to apply localized (on the order of 2 mm3) radiation force within tissue. and the resulting tissue displacements are mapped using ultrasonic correlation based methods. The tissue displacements are inversely proportional to the stiffness of the tissue, and thus a stiffer region of tissue exhibits smaller displacements than a more compliant region. In this paper, the feasibility of remote palpation is demonstrated experimentally using breast tissue phantoms with spherical lesion inclusions, and in vitro liver samples. A single diagnostic transducer and modified ultrasonic imaging system are used to perform remote palpation. The displacement images are directly correlated to local variations in tissue stiffness with higher contrast than the corresponding B-mode images. Relationships between acoustic beam parameters, lesion characteristics and radiation force induced tissue displacement patterns are investigated and discussed. The results show promise for the clinical implementation of remote palpation.

Breast↗

PubMed2000

Speckle tracking for multi-dimensional flow estimation.

Speckle tracking methods overcome the major limitations of current Doppler methods for flow imaging and quantification: angle dependence and aliasing. In this paper, we review the development of speckle tracking, with particular attention to the advantages and limitations of two-dimensional algorithms that use a single transducer aperture. Ensemble tracking, a recent speckle tracking method based upon parallel receive processing, is described. Experimental results with ensemble tracking indicate the ability to measure laminar flow in a phantom at a beam-vessel angle of 60 degrees, which had not been possible with previous 2D speckle tracking methods. Finally, important areas for future research in speckle tracking are briefly summarized.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2000

A novel interpolation strategy for estimating subsample speckle motion.

Multidimensional, high-resolution ultrasonic imaging of rapidly moving tissue is primarily limited by sparse sampling in the lateral dimension. In order to achieve acceptable spatial resolution and velocity quantization, interpolation of laterally sampled data is necessary. We present a novel method for estimating lateral subsample speckle motion and compare it with traditional interpolation methods. This method, called grid slopes, requires no a priori knowledge and can be applied to data with as few as two samples in the lateral dimension. Computer simulations were performed to compare grid slopes with two conventional interpolation schemes, parabolic fit and cubic spline. Results of computer simulations show that parabolic fit and cubic spline performed poorly at translations greater than 0.5 samples, and translations less than 0.5 samples were subject to an estimation bias. Grid slopes accurately estimated translations between 0 and 1 samples without estimation bias at high signal-to-noise ratios. Given that the grid slopes interpolation technique performs well at high signal-to-noise ratios, one pertinent clinical application might be tissue motion tracking.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2000

The impact of sound speed errors on medical ultrasound imaging.

The results of a quantitative study of the impact of sound speed errors on the spatial resolution and amplitude sensitivity of a commercial medical ultrasound scanner are presented in the context of their clinical significance. The beamforming parameters of the scanner were manipulated to produce sound speed errors ranging over +/-8% while imaging a wire target and an attenuating, speckle-generating phantom. For the wire target, these errors produced increases in lateral beam width of up to 320% and reductions in peak echo amplitude of up to 10.5 dB. In the speckle-generating phantom, these errors produced increases in speckle intensity correlation cell area of up to 92% and reductions in mean speckle brightness of up to 5.6 dB. These results are applied in statistical analyses of two detection tasks of clinical relevance. The first is of low contrast lesion detectability, predicting the changes in the correct decision probability as a function of lesion size, contrast, and sound speed error. The second is of point target detectability, predicting the changes in the correct decision probability as function of point target reflectivity and sound speed error. Representative results of these analyses are presented and their implications for clinical imaging are discussed. In general, sound speed errors have a more significant impact on point target detectability over lesion detectability by these analyses, producing up to a 22% reduction in correct decisions for a typical error.

Humans↗

PubMed2000

A finite element model of remote palpation of breast lesions using radiation force: factors affecting tissue displacement.

The early detection of breast cancer reduces patient mortality. The most common method of breast cancer detection is palpation. However, lesions that lie deep within the breast are difficult to palpate when they are small. Thus, a method of remote palpation, which may allow the detection of small lesions lying deep within the breast, is currently under investigation. In this method, acoustic radiation force is used to apply localized forces within tissue (to tissue volumes on the order of 2 mm3) and the resulting tissue displacements are mapped using ultrasonic correlation based methods. A volume of tissue that is stiffer than the surrounding medium (i.e., a lesion) distributes the force throughout the tissue beneath it, resulting in larger regions of displacement, and smaller maximum displacements. The resulting displacement maps may be used to image tissue stiffness. A finite-element-model (FEM) of acoustic remote palpation is presented in this paper. Using this model, a parametric analysis of the affect of varying tissue and acoustic beam characteristics on radiation force induced tissue displacements is performed. The results are used to evaluate the potential of acoustic remote palpation to provide useful diagnostic information in a clinical setting. The potential for using a single diagnostic transducer to both generate radiation force and track the resulting displacements is investigated.

Acoustics↗

PubMed1999

The use of acoustic streaming in breast lesion diagnosis: a clinical study.

Results from a clinical study are presented, in which ultrasonically-induced acoustic streaming was successfully used to differentiate fluid-filled lesions (cysts) from solid lesions in the breast. In this study, high-intensity ultrasound pulses from a modified commercial scanner were used to induce acoustic streaming in cyst fluid, and this motion was detected using Doppler methods. Acoustic streaming was generated and detected in 14 of 15 simple cysts, and 4 of 14 sonographically indeterminate breast lesions. This lesion differentiation method appears to be particularly suited for diagnosis of small, possibly newer, cysts that appear indeterminate on conventional sonography due to their size. The results indicate that this method would be a useful adjunct to conventional sonography for the purpose of breast lesion classification.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

The direct estimation of sound speed using pulse-echo ultrasound.

A method for the direct estimation of the longitudinal speed of sound in a medium is presented. This estimator derives the speed of sound through analysis of pulse-echo data received across a single transducer array following a single transmission, and is analogous to methods used in exploration seismology. A potential application of this estimator is the dynamic correction of beamforming errors in medical imaging that result from discrepancy between the assumed and actual biological tissue velocities. The theoretical basis of this estimator is described and its function demonstrated in phantom experiments. Using a wire target, sound-speed estimates in water, methanol, ethanol, and n-butanol are compared to published values. Sound-speed estimates in two speckle-generating phantoms are also compared to expected values. The mean relative errors of these estimates are all less than 0.4%, and under the most ideal experimental conditions are less than 0.1%. The relative errors of estimates based on independent regions of speckle-generating phantoms have a standard deviation on the order of 0.5%. Simulation results showing the relative significance of potential sources of estimate error are presented. The impact of sound-speed errors on imaging and the potential of this estimator for phase aberration correction and tissue characterization are also discussed.

Humans↗

PubMed1997

The detection of breast microcalcifications with medical ultrasound.

Microcalcifications are small crystals of calcium apatites which form in human tissue through a number of mechanisms. The size, morphology, and distribution of microcalcifications are important indicators in the mammographic screening for and diagnosis of various carcinomas in the breast. Although x-ray mammography is currently the only accepted method for detecting microcalcifications, its efficacy in this regard can be reduced in the presence of dense parenchyma. Current ultrasound scanners do not reliably detect microcalcifications in the size range of clinical interest. The results of theoretical, simulation, and experimental studies focused on the improvement of the ultrasonic visualization of microcalcifications are presented. Methods for estimating the changes in microcalcification detection performance which result from changes in aperture geometry or the presence of an aberrator are presented. An analysis of the relative efficacy of spatial compounding and synthetic receive aperture geometries in the detection of microcalcifications is described. The impact of log compression of the detected image on visualization is discussed. Registered high resolution ultrasound and digital spot mammography images of microcalcifications in excised breast carcinoma tissue and results from the imaging of suspected microcalcifications in vivo are presented.

Breast↗

PubMed1997

Speckle coherence and implications for adaptive imaging.

Tissue speed of sound inhomogeneities cause significant degradation of medical ultrasound images. In certain cases these inhomogeneities can be modeled as a thin, spatially varying time delay screen located at the face of the transducer. Correction of such aberrators requires the addition of compensating time delays to the normal system focusing delays. These compensating delays are estimated from the arrival time differences between echoes received on different array elements. The accuracy with which these arrival time differences can be estimated is limited by the level of correlation between received speckle signals. This paper derives analytical expressions predicting the correlation between speckle signals acquired by a pulse echo system with either point or larger receive elements in the presence of near-field phase aberrations. Simulations are presented which are in good agreement with theoretical predictions. Similarities between the derived expressions and the Van Cittert-Zernike Theorem are discussed. These results indicate that near-field phase aberration correction may be far more difficult than previous analyses suggest because of the low correlation between echoes received by adjacent elements in elevation in 1.5-D arrays. Transmit aperture amplitude apodization and a new translating aperture technique are presented as methods for improving speckle correlation.

Algorithms↗

PubMed1995

A novel ultrasonic technique for differentiating cysts from solid lesions: preliminary results in the breast.

The feasibility of a new ultrasonic technique to distinguish cysts from solid lesions is explored. High intensity pulses are used to induce acoustic streaming in cyst fluid, and this motion is detected using Doppler techniques. Acoustic streaming cannot be generated in solid lesions, therefore, its detection would indicate a cyst. In six of seven breast cysts motion was clearly generated and detected in vivo. Ultrasonic pulses with intensities up to 4.4 W cm-2 (I(spta) in water) were focused on the cysts for 10 s. Lesion diameters ranged from 0.6 to 2.5 cm; induced flow velocities were less than 4.0 cm s-1.

Breast Neoplasms↗

PubMed1995

Experimental velocity profiles and volumetric flow via two-dimensional speckle tracking.

The performance of a two-dimensional speckle tracking system in measuring in vitro laminar flow is evaluated. The system uses a pattern matching algorithm to track subresolution-sized speckle regions between successive ultrasonic 2D pulse-echo acquisitions in order to determine both the axial and the lateral components of velocity. In this study, multiple 2D vector velocity maps were acquired in real time using a calibrated laminar flow phantom, and then statistically analyzed off-line. At a 90 degrees transducer angle, volumetric flow rates computed from measured velocity profiles exhibited excellent linearity (R2 > 0.99), with a mean error of -6.1%, over the range 5-30 mL/s. At 105 degrees and 120 degrees, experimental volume flow rates also agreed well with actual rates, although measured velocity profiles appeared more irregular with decreasing Doppler angles. Velocity profiles estimated using sampled radio-frequency data rather than envelope-detected data were inconsistent due to an insufficient sampling rate and the quantization of the velocity grid. Results indicate that excellent flow velocity and volume rate estimates can be obtained from vector velocity measurements along a single line of sight, without a priori knowledge of the flow direction, at transducer angles near 90 degrees where Doppler instruments are prone to large errors.

Phantoms, Imaging↗

PubMed1993

A real time system for quantifying and displaying two-dimensional velocities using ultrasound.

This paper describes a system that has been developed for measuring two-dimensional velocities in real time using ultrasound. The instrument tracks interframe speckle pattern motion using a Sum-Absolute-Difference (SAD) algorithm in order to produce a vector map of 2D velocities. The system's parallel architecture allows calculation of approximately 20,000 vectors per second using the current tracking geometry. A programmable graphics processor encodes individual velocity vectors with color and displays them superimposed on the B-mode image in real time. In vitro tests indicate that the system can track velocities well over the Doppler aliasing limit in any direction in the scan plane with greater than 94% accuracy. A color encoded image obtained from a flow phantom highlights the system's ability to display lateral motion with uniform coloration, in contrast to the two-color display of current ultrasonic Doppler instruments.

Algorithms↗

PubMed1993

Real-time system for angle-independent US of blood flow in two dimensions: initial results.

The authors developed an ultrasound system that enables the speckle patterns produced by echoes from moving blood to be tracked in real time. Unlike current color Doppler flow imagers, this system allows the measurement of blood velocities in any direction within the imaging plane. The authors used this device to image flow in the human jugular vein and contrasted the image with one obtained under similar circumstances with color Doppler flow imaging. The authors demonstrated that this system can display in vivo lateral blood flow in real time. Further development of the system, including the incorporation of wall filters to enhance weak blood echoes and parallel techniques to reduce data acquisition time, will allow clinical imaging of flow with velocities of several meters per second in any direction without aliasing or dependence on the Doppler angle.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Phase aberration correction using echo signals from moving targets. I: Description and theory.

Inhomogeneous acoustic velocity in human tissue introduces phase aberration in ultrasonic imaging systems and degrades image quality. A novel technique that employs echo signals from moving diffuse targets, such as flowing blood, as an image quality factor to compensate for phase aberration is described. Such signals can be obtained by subtracting the images of two consecutive target interrogations. The fundamental statistics of the quality factor and other related parameters are developed to provide a theoretical basis for the technique.

Algorithms↗

PubMed1992

Phase aberration correction using echo signals from moving targets. II: Experimental system and results.

A method for correcting errors due to near-field tissue inhomogeneities in phased array ultrasound images is evaluated experimentally. The method uses the brightness of a moving speckle-generating target, such as blood, as a quality factor to correct for unknown phase aberrations. A real time experimental system utilizing the technique has been constructed and is described. Initial results from in vitro studies using a flow phantom are compared to theoretical predictions. The results indicate that the technique can provide significant improvements in image quality when imaging through aberrating media, and may find application in clinical imaging through skull and fatty layers.

Algorithms↗

PubMed1992

Two-dimensional arrays for medical ultrasound.

The design, fabrication and evaluation of two-dimensional transducer arrays are described for medical ultrasound imaging. A 4 x 32, 2.8 MHz array was developed to use new signal processing techniques for improved B-scan imaging including elevation focusing, phase correction and synthetic aperture imaging. Laboratory measurements from typical array elements showed 50 omega insertion loss of -56 dB, -6 dB fractional bandwidth of 43%, interelement crosstalk of -19 dB, and -6 dB pulse-echo angular response of 62 degrees. Simulations of pulse-echo beam plots have shown grating lobes 20 dB below the main lobe at +/- 7 degrees in the elevation direction. The complete 2-D array has been used for measurements of phase aberrations in breast, and the individual 32 element linear arrays have been used to obtain conventional B-scans. Several 16 x 16 arrays have also been developed for high speed volumetric imaging. These include 96 transmit elements and 32 receive channels. With a lambda/4 matching layer, laboratory measurements show 50 omega insertion loss of -72 dB, -6 dB fractional bandwidth of 63%, interelement crosstalk of -29 dB and -6 dB angular response of 25 degrees. Pulse-echo sensitivity was improved by 21 dB through the use of integrated circuit preamplifiers of high impedance mounted in the transducer handle. In vivo cardiac, abdominal, and obstetric B-scans with elevation focusing, as well as high speed C-scans, have been obtained with these 2-D arrays.

Equipment Design↗