System Optimization For Breast Sonography

项目描述（由申请人提供）：本项目旨在开发一种第一性原理的方法来设计和评估乳腺超声检查，特别是用于癌症检测和恶性病变鉴别。该方法基于乳腺超声的贝叶斯理想观察者模型，揭示了基于最大化诊断信息内容的最佳图像形成策略。我们目前对理想观测器策略的近似是使用编码脉冲激励方法和一系列空间维纳滤波器应用于固定焦点，大孔径阵列的数据。本项目提出的扩展包括迭代维纳滤波器，将该方法扩展到高度非平稳的散射介质，以及开发用于预波束形成回波数据的理想观测者，从而优化特定临床任务的波束形成策略。初步成像结果和涉及心理物理测试的研究表明，与通过动态接收聚焦的标准波束形成相比，病变可见性可以显著提高。我们希望从图像形成的基本理论出发，通过在临床仪器上实施最有前途的方法，最后用组织模拟幽灵进行测试，来发展这种新的成像方法。这些研究可能会导致新的最佳乳房成像技术，并为如何设计和评估所有超声成像技术提供新的视角。我们正在开发一种新的超声乳腺癌成像方法，该方法在诊断方面有很大的改善前景。如果成功，超声波将在癌症筛查中发挥更重要的作用，使用高效、安全、低成本的技术。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This project aims to develop a first-principles approach to the design and evaluation of breast sonography specifically for cancer detection and malignant lesion discrimination. The approach is based on the Bayesian ideal observer model for breast sonography that reveals optimal strategies for image formation based on maximizing diagnostic information content for specific examinations. Our current approximation to the ideal observer strategy is to use coded-pulse excitation methods with a series of spatial Wiener filters applied to data from a fixed-focus, large-aperture array. Extensions proposed in this project include iterative Wiener filters to extend the method to highly nonstationary scattering media, and development of the ideal observer for pre-beamformed echo data that allows optimization of beamforming strategies for specific clinical tasks. Preliminary imaging results and studies involving psychophysical testing have shown that lesion visibility can be significantly improved over standard beamforming via dynamic receive focusing. We wish to develop this new imaging approach from the basic theory of image formation, through implementation of the most promising methods on a clinical instrument, and finally testing with tissue mimicking phantoms. These investigations may lead to new optimal techniques for breast imaging and a new perspective on how to design and evaluate all ultrasonic imaging techniques. We are developing a novel approach to ultrasonic breast cancer imaging that shows great promising for significant improvements in diagnosis. If successful, sonography will play a more prominent role in cancer screening using techniques that are highly effective, safe and low cost.