Coherence-Based Fetal Ultrasonic Imaging

描述（由申请人提供）：超声成像被广泛用于监测妊娠早期和中期胎儿的生长发育，多项研究证明超声成像对胎儿和母亲的预后有积极的影响。然而，目前的方法无法为许多患者提供足够的关键结构可视化，并且这些患者很少有替代的成像模式。我们开发了一种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、模拟和初步临床研究中，显示出比传统超声图像明显改善的图像质量，特别是在难以成像的患者中。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来评估和优化基于相干的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、合成孔径成像和自适应成像方法在相干波束形成中的应用。临床研究建议评估相干成像在关键胎儿诊断任务中的作用，在孕早期和孕中期扫描。提出了定量图像质量指标和观察者研究来比较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源的贡献，并比较在常规和相干超声图像中观察到的图像伪影。如果成功，这项研究可能会导致一种新的超声波束形成方法，这种方法可以在当前方法无法实现的成像环境中使用。

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.