A reconfigurable and programmable FPGA-based system for nonstandard ultrasound methods

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Biomedical Engineering
• Ultrasound Technology

Background:

• Advancements in ultrasound (US) technology are driven by programmable research platforms.
• These platforms allow for the testing and refinement of novel transmission and processing techniques.
• The development of flexible and adaptable US research tools is crucial for innovation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and evaluate the ULtrasound Advanced Open Platform (ULA-OP).
• To demonstrate the versatility and real-time capabilities of the ULA-OP across various applications.
• To highlight the role of onboard programmable devices in the ULA-OP's functionality.

Main Methods:

• The ULA-OP was adapted for five nonstandard working modalities.
• Applications included Vector Doppler, quasi-static elastography, flow-mediated dilation, pulse compression, and high-frame-rate imaging.
• The system's flexibility was assessed by examining data access at different reception chain points.

Main Results:

• The ULA-OP demonstrated real-time potential and versatility in Vector Doppler and quasi-static elastography.
• High-frame-rate imaging and pulse compression highlighted flexible data access.
• Experimental results confirmed the system's performance across the tested applications.

Conclusions:

• The ULA-OP is a flexible and adaptable tool for ultrasound research.
• The platform facilitates the exploration of novel ultrasound techniques and applications.
• ULA-OP shows significant potential for advancing ultrasound systems technology.