Enhanced Ultrasound Image Formation With Computationally Efficient Cross-Angular Delay Multiply and Sum Beamforming.

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Ultrasound Technology
• Signal Processing

Background:

• Conventional delay and sum (DAS) beamforming in ultrasound imaging has limitations in resolution and suffers from high side lobes.
• Nonlinear processing techniques have emerged as effective methods for enhancing ultrasound image quality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and evaluate a novel nonlinear beamforming algorithm, Cross-Angular Delay Multiply and Sum (CADMAS).
• To assess the performance of CADMAS in improving image contrast and maintaining computational efficiency.

Main Methods:

• CADMAS utilizes nonlinear compounding across plane-wave steering angles to enhance image contrast.
• The algorithm was implemented with mathematical reformulation for low computational cost.
• CADMAS was tested on B-Mode and amplitude modulation imaging, using in vitro and in vivo datasets with microbubbles and gas vesicles.
• Comparisons were made against DAS, FMAS, DMAS, and combined nonlinear methods.

Main Results:

• CADMAS demonstrated an average image contrast improvement of 7.6 to 40 dB over DAS and 4.8 to 20 dB over DMAS across datasets.
• The computational time for CADMAS was found to be 1 to 2 times that of DAS, with a less than 6% increase in implementation.
• Significant contrast enhancement was observed in both in vitro and in vivo imaging scenarios.

Conclusions:

• CADMAS offers a robust improvement in image contrast for ultrasound imaging.
• The algorithm shows potential for broad application in biological and clinical settings due to its effectiveness and efficiency.