Coherence-Based Fetal Ultrasonic Imaging

描述（由申请人提供）：超声成像广泛用于监测妊娠早期和中期的胎儿生长和发育，多项研究记录了对胎儿和母体结局的积极影响。然而，目前的方法无法提供足够的可视化的关键结构在许多患者和替代成像模式很少可用于这些患者。我们已经开发了新的超声波束形成方法，而不是成像回波亮度，显示后向散射回波的空间相干性。这些方法，在模拟，幻影，和初步的临床研究中，显示出显着改善的图像质量比传统的超声图像，特别是在难以成像的患者。我们建议在商用诊断扫描仪上构建一个实时相干成像系统。我们提出了幻影和模拟研究，以评估和优化相干成像方法在广泛的成像条件下。相关研究将探讨频率和空间复合，合成孔径成像，自适应成像方法的相干波束形成的应用。临床研究提出了评估的作用，相干成像在关键的胎儿诊断任务，在第一个三月和第二个三月扫描。定量图像质量指标和观察员研究提出了比较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各种图像退化来源的贡献，并比较常规和基于相干性的超声图像中观察到的图像伪影。如果成功的话，这项研究可能会导致一类新的超声波波束形成方法，这些方法可以在当前方法失败的成像环境中运行。

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.