ULTRASONIC HIGH RESOLUTION QUANTITATIVE BREAST IMAGING

描述（改编自申请人的摘要）：本发明的目的是 研究是形成高分辨率和定量的超声图像， 乳房使用自适应像差校正的显著进步， 在逆散射理论中结合创新的环 具有可编程发射波形的换能器系统。 高分辨率 将形成b扫描图像并评价其在 乳腺癌的诊断 图像形成将采用新的自适应 聚焦技术。 在一种技术中，合成发射信号 从散射信号使用后向传播， 估计和补偿。 合成波形被预失真， 特定乳房组织路径使得传播到聚焦区 反转失真并为点产生未失真的焦点， 对比度分辨率仅受孔径大小和脉冲长度的限制， 而不是失常 接收中的聚焦采用反向传播， 通过时移补偿。 在另一种技术中， 在四个域之一中处理：空间，空间频率，时间， 时间频率 通过可选的 距离也被用来改变时间和空间特征 作为时间频率和空间频率特性的 波前 不需要点源，这两种技术都可以校正 在整个传播路径之间的不均匀性的影响， 传感器和被成像的区域。 乳腺定量图像 组织固有参数，如声速、可压缩性和 密度将利用图像理论的重大进展来形成 重建 这些进展产生了最佳的声穿透， 散射体性质的分析算子来自测量 散射数据和新的图像重建方法。 数据 高分辨率B扫描图像和定量图像的构建 将从各种体模和大量乳房标本中获得。 的 所得图像将与观察到的散射形态进行比较 对象和成像技术将严格评估其 在乳腺癌检测、诊断和监测中的实用性， 复发 该评价的标准包括点和对比度 分辨率、计算简单性和定量图像的能力 以显示在b扫描中被补偿性变化所隐藏的新信息 组织参数。

DESCRIPTION (Adapted from Applicant's Abstract): The objective of this research is to form high-resolution and quantitative ultrasonic images of the breast using significant advances in adaptive aberration correction and in inverse scattering theory in combination with an innovative ring transducer system that has programmable transmit waveforms. High-resolution b-scan images will be formed and evaluated for their utility in the diagnosis of breast cancer. Image formation will employ new adaptive focussing techniques. In one technique, transmit signals are synthesized from scattered signals using backpropagation followed by time-shift estimation and compensation. The synthesized waveforms are predistorted for the particular breast tissue path so that propagation to the focal zone reverses the distortion and yields an undistorted focus for point and contrast resolution limited only by aperture size and pulse length rather than by aberration. Focussing in reception employs backpropagation followed by time-shift compensation. In another technique, ultrasonic wavefronts are processed in one of four domains: space, spatial frequency, time, and temporal frequency. Forward and backward propagation over a selectable distance is used to change the temporal and spatial characteristics as well as the temporal frequency and spatial frequency characteristics of the wavefront. Without the need for a point source, both techniques correct for the effects of inhomogeneities throughout the propagation path between the transducer and the region being imaged. Quantitative images of breast tissue intrinsic parameters such as sound speed, compressibility, and density will be formed using significant advances in the theory of image reconstruction. The advances yield optimal insonifications, estimation of scatterer properties from analysis of operators derived from measured scattering data, and new image reconstruction methods. Data for the construction of both high-resolution b-scan images and quantitative images will be obtained from various phantoms and numerous breast specimens. The resulting images will be compared with observed morphology of scattering objects and the imaging techniques will be critically evaluated for their utility in breast cancer detection, diagnosis, and monitoring for recurrence. Criteria for this evaluation include point and contrast resolution, computational simplicity, and the ability of quantitative images to show new information that is concealed in b-scans by compensatory changes in tissue parameters.