In vitro simulation and quantification of temporal jitter artifacts in ECG-gated dynamic three-dimensional
S K Nadkarni1, D R Boughner, M Drangova
1Imaging Research Laboratories, The John P. Robarts Research Institute, 100 Perth Drive, London, Ontario, N6A 5K8, Canada.
Abstract:
The image quality of dynamic 3-D echocardiography is limited by temporal jitter artifacts that result from the asynchronous acquisition of video frames with the cardiac cycle. This paper analyzes the source and extent of these artifacts using in vitro studies. Dynamic 3-D images of a myocardial motion phantom were reconstructed and analyzed for eight cardiac motion patterns. The extent of temporal jitter artifacts was quantified, first, from the images by computing temporal jitter maps and, second, predicted from the motion waveforms. Temporal jitter appeared as a pattern of streak artifacts converging at the axis of rotation of the imaging plane, for the rotational scanning approach used in our study. The results of the experimental analysis techniques were compared with the waveform analysis using linear regression analysis. The least squares line showed good correlation between the data (r > 0.9) and its deviation from the line of identity was calculated to be <9%.
