A novel transcranial ultrasound imaging method with diverging wave

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Biomedical Engineering
• Acoustics

Background:

• Transcranial ultrasound imaging offers significant clinical potential but faces challenges with image quality.
• Ultrafast ultrasound imaging using diverging wave (DW) transmission shows promise for dynamic processes but suffers from poor resolution and contrast.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance the image quality of ultrafast transcranial ultrasound imaging.
• To improve lateral resolution and contrast in diverging wave transcranial ultrasound.

Main Methods:

• Adaptive beamforming algorithms were applied to diverging wave (DW) transmission for transcranial ultrasound.
• Simulations and phantom experiments were conducted to validate the proposed methods.
• Real-time transcranial ultrasound imaging through the temporal bone was performed using 2-4 MHz frequencies (centered at 2.8 MHz).

Main Results:

• Adaptive beamforming significantly improved the lateral resolution and image contrast of DW transcranial ultrasound.
• The methods demonstrated effectiveness despite wavefront distortion caused by the temporal bone.
• Enhanced image quality was observed in real-time transcranial ultrasound data.

Conclusions:

• Adaptive beamforming is a viable strategy to overcome the limitations of diverging wave transmission in transcranial ultrasound.
• The proposed technique offers a substantial improvement in image quality for brain imaging applications.
• This advancement holds promise for more detailed and reliable ultrasound diagnostics of the brain.