Minimal angular compounding required for coherence-based sound speed estimation with plane wave ultrasound imaging

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Ultrasound Technology
• Acoustical Physics

Background:

• Conventional ultrasound assumes uniform sound speed (1540 m/s), causing image degradation due to tissue heterogeneity.
• Phase aberrations in ultrasound imaging lead to reduced image quality and diagnostic accuracy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the minimum number of steered plane wave angles required for effective coherence-based sound speed estimation.
• To reduce processing time for ultrasound imaging while maintaining or improving image quality.

Main Methods:

• Investigated a coherence-based sound speed estimation approach using varying numbers of steered plane wave angles.
• Assessed image quality using full width at half maximum (FWHM) on tissue-mimicking phantoms.
• Evaluated artifact reduction in vivo on the brachioradialis muscle.

Main Results:

• A minimum of three steered angles achieved comparable FWHM to 75 angles, improving FWHM by over 65% compared to standard methods.
• The coherence-based method with three angles reduced mean amplitude artifacts by 4.73 dB in vivo.
• The optimal range for sound speed estimation using this method is 3-7 steered angles.

Conclusions:

• Coherence-based sound speed estimation is effective with a reduced number of steered angles (3-7).
• This approach offers significant improvements in ultrasound image quality and artifact reduction.
• The findings have the potential to enhance clinical ultrasound workflows and diagnostic capabilities.