2-D Minimum Variance Based Plane Wave Compounding with Generalized Coherence Factor in Ultrafast Ultrasound Imaging

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Ultrasound Technology
• Signal Processing

Background:

• Plane wave compounding (PWC) offers superior resolution and noise reduction compared to plane wave imaging (PWI).
• Existing methods for PWC face challenges in maintaining high resolution and contrast at high frame rates.
• Ultrafast ultrasound imaging demands advanced beamforming techniques for optimal performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel beamformer integrating 2-D minimum variance (MV) with generalized coherence factor (GCF) for PWC.
• To enhance image resolution, contrast, and maintain high frame rates in ultrafast ultrasound.
• To overcome limitations of existing beamforming techniques in PWC.

Main Methods:

• Implemented a novel beamformer combining 2-D MV beamforming with 2-D GCF weighting.
• Utilized subarray technique with sub-matrix division for MV beamforming.
• Employed 2-D fast Fourier transform (FFT) for adaptive GCF computation.

Main Results:

• Achieved a 90% smaller full width at half maximum (FWHM) and 154% contrast ratio (CR) improvement in simulations compared to delay-and-sum (DAS).
• Effectively avoided over-suppression of desired signals, a common issue with coherence factor (CF) methods.
• Demonstrated enhanced robustness against sound velocity errors.

Conclusions:

• The proposed 2-D MV-GCF beamformer significantly improves image quality in PWC.
• This method offers a viable solution for high-resolution, high-frame-rate ultrafast ultrasound imaging.
• Validated through simulations, phantom experiments, and in vivo studies.