Coherence-Based Fetal Ultrasonic Imaging

描述(由申请人提供)：超声波成像被广泛用于监测妊娠早期和中期的胎儿生长和发育，多项研究记录了由此产生的对胎儿和产妇结局的积极影响。然而，目前的方法不能在许多患者中提供足够的关键结构的可视化，并且可供选择的成像模式对这些患者很少。我们开发了新的超声波束形成方法，它不是成像回波亮度，而是显示后向散射回波的空间相干性。这些方法在模拟、体模和初步临床研究中显示，图像质量明显优于传统的超声图像，特别是在难以成像的患者中。我们建议在一台商用的诊断扫描仪上构建一个实时相干成像系统。我们提出了体模和模拟研究来评估和优化广泛成像条件下基于相干性的成像方法。相关研究将考察频率和空间合成、合成孔径成像和自适应成像方法在相干波束形成中的应用。建议进行临床研究，以评估相干成像在妊娠早期和中期扫描中的关键胎儿诊断任务中的作用。提出了定量图像质量指标和观察者研究，以比较B模式和相干图像，重点是难以成像的患者。相关研究将测量胎儿扫描中图像退化的各种来源的贡献，并比较在传统超声图像和基于相干的超声图像中观察到的图像伪影。如果成功，这项拟议的研究可能会导致一类新的超声波波束形成方法，这种方法在成像环境中运行，而目前的方法在这种环境中失败。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Ultrasonic imaging is widely used to monitor fetal growth and development during the first and second trimester and multiple studies document the resultant positive impacts on fetal and maternal outcomes. However, current methods fail to provide adequate visualization of key structures in many patients and alternative imaging modes are rarely available to these patients. We have developed novel ultrasonic beamforming methods that, instead of imaging echo brightness, display the spatial coherence of backscattered echoes. These methods, in simulation, phantom, and initial clinical studies, show markedly improved image quality over conventional ultrasonic images, especially in difficult-to-image patients. We propose to construct a real-time coherence imaging system on a commercially available diagnostic scanner. We propose phantom and simulation studies to assess and optimize coherence-based imaging methods under a wide range of imaging conditions. Related studies will examine the application of frequency and spatial compounding, synthetic aperture imaging, and adaptive imaging methods to coherence beamforming. Clinical studies are proposed to assess the role of coherence imaging in key fetal diagnostic tasks in first trimester and second trimester scans. Quantitative image quality metrics and observer studies are proposed to compare B-mode and coherence images with an emphasis on difficult-to-image patients. Related studies will measure the contribution of various sources of image degradation in fetal scans and compare image artifacts observed in conventional and coherence-based ultrasonic images. If successful, the proposed research could lead to a new class of ultrasonic beamforming methods that operate in imaging environments in which current methods fail.