4D Wide-Field Ultrafast Ultrasound of the Human Carotid Using a Multi-Lens Probe

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Ultrasound Technology
• Vascular Imaging

Background:

• Traditional ultrasound methods have limitations in capturing complex vascular dynamics.
• Ultrafast Doppler imaging offers enhanced temporal and spatial resolution.
• Large-aperture probes are being explored to expand imaging capabilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To adapt large multi-lens probe technology for 4D ultrafast Doppler imaging.
• To validate the performance of this system in vitro and in vivo.
• To assess its potential for clinical vascular mapping.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a 1MHz large-aperture multi-lens probe for data acquisition.
• Employed 3D delay-and-sum beamforming with coherent compounding and SVD filtering.
• Performed validation using a flow phantom and human carotid artery imaging with contrast agents.

Main Results:

• Achieved accurate structural measurements comparable to commercial devices.
• Demonstrated sensitivity to flow orientation and detection of bidirectional flow.
• Captured carotid pulsatility, enabling quantification of flow dynamics.
• Obtained an extended field of view (up to 41x69x41 mm³ and 39x103x32 mm³) with significant penetration depth.

Conclusions:

• The large multi-lens probe facilitates wide-field-of-view 4D ultrafast Doppler imaging.
• This technology shows significant potential for enhanced vascular mapping in clinical settings.
• It represents a promising advancement in ultrasound-based cardiovascular diagnostics.