High-Resolution Ultrasound Imaging Enabled by Random Interference and Joint Image Reconstruction

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Acoustics
• Signal Processing

Background:

• Wave interference in ultrasound imaging undesirably degrades image resolution.
• Previous research demonstrated the potential of random interference wavefronts for high-resolution ultrasound reconstruction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance the resolution of interference-based ultrasound imaging.
• To introduce a novel joint image reconstruction scheme utilizing all sensor array signals.

Main Methods:

• A joint optimization problem was formulated to directly reconstruct high-resolution images.
• Radio frequency (RF) signals from all sensor array elements were utilized in the reconstruction process.
• The proposed method was compared against traditional beamforming techniques and a prior interference-based compound method.

Main Results:

• The joint reconstruction method demonstrated superior performance in simulations, achieving the lowest mean-squared error (MSE), highest peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), and best signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).
• An exceptional structural similarity index (SSIM) of 0.998 was recorded for the joint reconstruction method.
• Experimental studies confirmed significant improvements in image quality compared to other reconstruction methods.

Conclusions:

• The proposed joint reconstruction scheme substantially improves resolution in interference-based ultrasound imaging.
• This method offers a significant advancement for achieving high-resolution ultrasound images.
• Simulation codes are provided as an open-source repository to promote reproducible research.