Junyi Wang , Tianhua Zhou , Gaobo Zhang , Boyi Li , Xin Liu , Dean Ta
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
The propagation of acoustic waves through bone remains a longstanding challenge in transcranial ultrasound imaging. As a highly scattering medium, the skull causes significant distortions in the ultrasonic wavefield, introducing complex aberrations that hinder precise image reconstruction. Conventional delay-and-sum (DAS) algorithms, which process pixels independently, fail to account for inter-pixel relationships, limiting their ability to correct such distortions. To address this issue, we propose a Pixel-Responsive Optimization (PRO) Beamforming Method that leverages backscattered signals from compound plane waves. By constructing a pixel-response matrix and simulating a virtual acoustic lens, PRO isolates and aligns distorted fields with reference phases to restore near-ideal propagation. Experiments on bovine femur plates and a human skull demonstrate improved image resolution, recovery of submerged signals, and artifact suppression. PRO achieves up to a 90% improvement in full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) compared to DAS, requiring no prior assumptions and showing strong generalizability in complex scenarios through bone. This advancement holds promise for future in vivo transcranial brain imaging applications.
期刊介绍:
Medical Image Analysis serves as a platform for sharing new research findings in the realm of medical and biological image analysis, with a focus on applications of computer vision, virtual reality, and robotics to biomedical imaging challenges. The journal prioritizes the publication of high-quality, original papers contributing to the fundamental science of processing, analyzing, and utilizing medical and biological images. It welcomes approaches utilizing biomedical image datasets across all spatial scales, from molecular/cellular imaging to tissue/organ imaging.