Visual impact of adaptive speckle reduction on US B-mode images

Adaptive speckle reduction, which is designed to improve image contrast, dramatically alters the familiar appearance of the ultrasonographic B-mode scan. The acceptability to radiologists of this alternative method of display was assessed. Four experienced radiologists selected B-mode scans from 83 liver and 71 breast examinations and graded the change in diagnostically important features after adaptive speckle reduction. There was no loss of important anatomic detail in the smoothed images and a net reduction in image artifacts. Removal of speckle noise improved definition of lesion margins in 38.3% of cases and enhanced visibility of metastases in 35.4% of liver studies and 7.7% of breast lesions. In 42.1% of cases, the textural information in the image was judged to be enhanced. Image information in general was said to be better seen in 49.5% of cases. The preliminary radiologic experience with speckle-reduced B-mode echograms is favorable and does not indicate generation of any substantial image artifacts.