The Application of an Ultrasound Tomography Algorithm in a Novel Ring 3D Ultrasound Imaging System

Currently, breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in women all over the world. A novel 3D breast ultrasound imaging ring system using the linear array transducer is proposed to decrease costs, reduce processing difficulties, and improve patient comfort as compared to modern day breast screening systems. The 1 × 128 Piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducer (PMUT) linear array is placed 90 degrees cross-vertically. The transducer surrounds the mammary gland, which allows for non-contact detection. Once the experimental platform is built, the breast model is placed through the electric rotary table opening and into a water tank that is at a constant temperature of 32 °C. The electric rotary table performs a 360° scan either automatically or mechanically. Pulse echo signals are captured through a circular scanning method at discrete angles. Subsequently, an ultrasonic tomography algorithm is designed, and a horizontal slice imaging is realized. The experimental results indicate that the preliminary detection of mass is realized by using this ring system. Circular scanning imaging is obtained by using a rotatable linear array instead of a cylindrical array, which allows the size and location of the mass to be recognized. The resolution of breast imaging is improved through the adjustment of the angle interval (>0.05°) and multiple slices are gained through different transducer array elements (1 × 128). These results validate the feasibility of the system design as well as the algorithm, and encourage us to implement our concept with a clinical study in the future.