Multibeam minimum variance beamforming for ring array ultrasound imaging.

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Ultrasound Technology
• Signal Processing

Background:

• Delay-and-sum (DAS) and minimum variance (MV) are key ultrasound beamformers.
• MV beamformers offer superior image quality by reducing interference.
• Linear arrays have limited fields of view; ring arrays offer wider coverage but are less explored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and evaluate a multibeam minimum variance (MB-MV) beamformer for ring array ultrasound imaging.
• To enhance image quality, resolution, and contrast in ring array systems.
• To compare the MB-MV beamformer against DAS and spatial smoothing MV (SS MV) methods.

Main Methods:

• Development of the multibeam minimum variance (MB-MV) beamformer.
• Comparative analysis using simulations, phantom experiments, and in vivo human studies.
• Evaluation metrics included full width at half maximum (FWHM) and contrast ratio.

Main Results:

• MB-MV achieved over 50% improvement in FWHM compared to DAS and SS MV.
• MB-MV enhanced contrast ratio by approximately 6 dB over DAS and 4 dB over SS MV.
• Demonstrated superior performance of MB-MV in ring array ultrasound imaging.

Conclusions:

• The MB-MV beamformer is feasible and effective for ring array ultrasound imaging.
• MB-MV significantly improves image quality, offering better lesion differentiation.
• This method holds potential for advancing clinical applications of ring array ultrasound.