Ultrasonic Imaging最新文献

{"title":"A Streamlined Method for Placement of Diverging-Wave Virtual Sources for Ultrafast Ultrasound Imaging.","authors":"Kashta Dozier-Muhammad, Carl D Herickhoff","doi":"10.1177/01617346251382496","DOIUrl":"10.1177/01617346251382496","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Ultrasound array probes can transmit diverging wavefronts from virtual source (VS) locations behind the array to obtain ultrafast compounded images with a broad field-of-view, but determining a practical set of diverging-wave VS locations is non-trivial, given the infinite half-plane of possibilities. In this work, we propose VS placement at a constant radial distance <i>r</i> from the array origin, and we compare this to a previous (and less direct) method of VS placement at a constant opening angle β relative to the ends of the array. Each method was implemented in Field II with a 64 element, 2.7 MHz phased-array geometry to simulate point-spread functions (PSFs) at regular 10 mm intervals over the field-of-view; the lateral and axial resolution, peak side-to-main lobe amplitude ratio (PSMR), and maximum amplitude of each PSF were measured. Each method was also implemented on a research scanner with a corresponding probe to acquire images of a tissue-mimicking phantom for comparison. Results from both methods in simulation and phantom experiments showed that the increase in PSF lateral resolution with range was consistent (≈38 µm/mm) and the mean axial resolution agreed within 0.01 mm; mean differences in PSMR and amplitude were <5% and <4%, respectively. Generalized contrast-to-noise ratio (gCNR) was highest for the constant-β₂ method, with differences between methods within ±1%. These results indicate that, relative to the constant-β method, comparable image quality can be achieved with a streamlined constant-<i>r</i> method of VS placement for diverging-wave ultrafast imaging.</p>","PeriodicalId":49401,"journal":{"name":"Ultrasonic Imaging","volume":" ","pages":"139-155"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145566055","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A High-Resolution and High-Contrast Beamforming Algorithm Based on Null Subtraction Imaging Applied to Synthetic Transmit Aperture.","authors":"Roya Paridar, Babak Mohammadzadeh Asl","doi":"10.1177/01617346251384583","DOIUrl":"10.1177/01617346251384583","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In medical ultrasound imaging, achieving high-quality reconstructed images while avoiding a huge computational burden is an important challenge. The Null subtraction imaging (NSI) algorithm results in a high-resolution reconstructed image. However, this method is not successful in recovering the background speckle information. In this paper, a novel algorithm, known as NSI-based generalized coherence factor (GCF)-along with delay-and-sum (DAS), which is abbreviated as NSG-DAS, is developed to overcome this limitation. In the proposed method, by using a hybrid technique, the desired resolution and effective noise suppression of the NSI algorithm, as well as the background speckle information of the conventional DAS beamformer are recovered simultaneously. More precisely, by using the GCF method, a new weighing factor is introduced that enhances the coherent regions of the image and suppresses the off-axis signals. Evaluations prove the favorable performance of the suggested technique; in particular, by using the proposed NSG-DAS method, a resolution comparable to the NSI algorithm is achieved for the geabr0 dataset, which is improved by about 42% compared to DAS. Also, the contrast evaluation parameter of the suggested technique is comparable to the DAS algorithm and is improved by about 63% compared to the NSI method. This indicates the ability of the suggested technique to improve either resolution or contrast simultaneously.</p>","PeriodicalId":49401,"journal":{"name":"Ultrasonic Imaging","volume":" ","pages":"156-170"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145656235","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Novel Clinical Hybrid Deep Framework for Denoising and Anatomical Segmentation in Challenging Ultrasound Conditions.","authors":"Taher Slimi, Anouar Ben Khalifa","doi":"10.1177/01617346251384596","DOIUrl":"10.1177/01617346251384596","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Speckle noise in ultrasound imaging remains a major obstacle to accurate clinical interpretation and reliable anatomical segmentation. Existing enhancement methods often compromise anatomical details while reducing noise, particularly under challenging imaging conditions. To address this, we introduce an innovative hybrid framework combining the Smart Adaptive Framework for Image Enhancement (SAFIE), a denoising engine based on adaptive fractional convolutions and gradient-based refinement, with a segmentation strategy integrating superpixel-based hypergraph modeling and neural ordinary differential equations. This framework enables effective noise suppression and precise segmentation of anatomical structures by capturing both spatial coherence and temporal feature dynamics. The enhanced images reveal improved visibility of anatomical structures and boundaries. Qualitative evaluation by four experienced radiologists confirmed this improvement, with strong inter-observer agreement measured by Fleiss' kappa, highlighting the robustness and clinical relevance of the approach. Quantitative results corroborate these observations, demonstrating performance substantially superior to several state-of-the-art methods. Ablation studies further indicate that each component contributes significantly to overall improvement. These findings suggest that the proposed framework enhances segmentation reliability and provides robust support for diagnostic interpretation in ultrasound imaging.</p>","PeriodicalId":49401,"journal":{"name":"Ultrasonic Imaging","volume":" ","pages":"171-200"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145566053","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"DAUS-Net: Toward Ultrasound Scanner-Agnostic Domain Generalized Robust and Accurate Segmentation.","authors":"Sangheon Lee, Dongkyu Jung, Nizar Guezzi, Sangwoo Nam, Jaesok Yu","doi":"10.1177/01617346251388454","DOIUrl":"10.1177/01617346251388454","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In medical imaging, segmentation is a critical task for analysis and diagnosis. Deep learning-based segmentation has been actively studied and has shown remarkable performance. Building high-accuracy segmentation models requires a large amount of high-quality labeled data, but the cost of collecting such data is extremely high in medical imaging. In ultrasound imaging, the differences in image features depending on the equipment are significantly greater compared to other medical imaging modalities. Consequently, models need to be trained for each specific device, which entails substantial costs and time, leading to various practical challenges. To address these challenges, we propose a robust and accurate segmentation network that can operate independently of the ultrasound equipment. We integrated the Deep Frequency Filtering (DFF) module into a U-Net-based model. The proposed model retains the U-Net's encoder-decoder structure but applies frequency filtering within the latent space of each encoder layer, enabling adaptive selection of frequency components for breast tumor detection. Moreover, batch normalization was replaced with instance normalization to remove stylish features. We evaluated the model using three public datasets acquired from different scanners, achieving superior performance on unseen testing datasets compared to existing models. Notably, when tested on the unseen BUS-BRA dataset, DAUS-Net achieved a Dice score of 0.76, compared to 0.61 by the conventional U-Net. This improvement is attributed to the synergy between the DFF module and instance normalization. Our results demonstrate that the proposed model consistently detects and segments breast tumors, highlighting its potential for generalized clinical segmentation task. The source code for implementing DAUS-Net is publicly available at https://github.com/shlee8638/DAUS-Net.</p>","PeriodicalId":49401,"journal":{"name":"Ultrasonic Imaging","volume":" ","pages":"201-214"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145835168","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Differential Diagnostic Value of Ultrasound Radiomics in TI-RADS 4a Follicular Thyroid Neoplasms.","authors":"Ying-Yan Zhao, Wei-Wei Li, Ling-Ling Tao, Wei-Wei Zhan, Wei Zhou","doi":"10.1177/01617346251382464","DOIUrl":"10.1177/01617346251382464","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) is the second most common thyroid cancer. Preoperative differentiation between benign and malignant follicular tumors remains challenging using ultrasound and fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB). Radiomics quantitatively evaluates diseases by extracting and analyzing features from medical images. This study aimed to assess the diagnostic value of ultrasound radiomics in distinguishing follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) from follicular thyroid adenoma (FTA) among TI-RADS 4a nodules. A retrospective analysis was conducted on the ultrasound images from 144 patients with TI-RADS 4a follicular thyroid neoplasms who underwent their first surgery in our hospital from January 2018 to June 2024. First, ultrasonographic characteristics (US) were analyzed from ultrasound images and diagnostic reports to build a US model. Second, ultrasound radiomics features were extracted from ultrasound images by the software of 3D-Slicer. According to the postoperative pathological results, the patients were divided into FTC group and FTA group. Following the principle of random allocation, the ratio of the training group (<i>n</i> = 86) to the validation group (<i>n</i> = 58) was 6:4. The ultrasound radiomics features were selected by the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) algorithm in order to build a radiomics model. Finally, a combined model integrating ultrasonographic characteristics and radiomics features (combined-model) was developed. All models including US model, radiomics model and combined-model were built through multi-factor logistic regression analysis to differentiate and diagnose follicular thyroid neoplasms. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), precision, recall and F1-Score were used to evaluate the efficacy of the models. One hundred forty-four patients with TI-RADS 4a follicular thyroid neoplasms were divided into FTC group (41 cases) and FTA group (103 cases) based on postoperative pathological results. A total of 858 ultrasound radiomics features were extracted from the ultrasound images. After screening, six optimal radiomics features were obtained. Among the three models, the combined-model demonstrated best performance in differentiating FTC from FTA, with the area under the curve (AUC) of 0.839 (95% CI: 0.663-1.000) in the validation group. The F1-Score reflected a balance between precision and recall, with overall performance being superior. Combined model of ultrasonographic characteristics and radiomics may be useful to distinguish FTC from FTA.</p>","PeriodicalId":49401,"journal":{"name":"Ultrasonic Imaging","volume":" ","pages":"74-82"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145338030","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"In Vivo Performance of Airway and Lung Ultrasound Enhanced via Inhalable Contrast Agents.","authors":"Andrew S Weitz, Phillip W Clapp, Phillip G Durham, David B Hill, James K Tsuruta, Yueh Z Lee, Paul A Dayton, Melissa C Caughey","doi":"10.1177/01617346251384609","DOIUrl":"10.1177/01617346251384609","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Tracheal and distal airway imaging enhance the evaluation of mucociliary clearance (MCC) and respiratory health. Herein, we characterize in vivo pulmonary imaging performance of a microbubble (MB) contrast agent optimized for muco-adhesion. A three-way crossover trial (12 mice, 3 imaging timepoints each) was conducted to evaluate tracheal ultrasound image enhancement following oropharyngeal instillation of standard MBs, our optimized MB formulation (TAP-cationic MBs), and lipid solution control. The feasibility of delivering our TAP-cationic MBs as an aerosol to the distal airways was also evaluated using a porcine model. Contrast imaging procedures were well-tolerated by both animal models. In mice, tracheal delineation was comparably enhanced with TAP-cationic MBs (contrast-to-noise ratio [CNR]: 42.26 dB) and standard MBs (CNR: 45.09 dB). Both exceeded lipid solution control (CNR: 11.9 dB, <i>p</i> < .05). In the porcine model, nebulized administration of TAP-cationic MBs yielded MB accumulation in the distal airways visible on transcutaneous ultrasound. Modifying the standard MB formulation to optimize muco-adhesion does not diminish image enhancement when administered oropharyngeally as a liquid solution, and when administered as an aerosol, TAP-cationic MBs deposit, and can be visualized in the distal lung airways. These findings support further development of MB contrast agents for pulmonary applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":49401,"journal":{"name":"Ultrasonic Imaging","volume":" ","pages":"124-132"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145423506","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Corrigendum to \"The Predictive Value of a Nomogram Based on Ultrasound Radiomics, Clinical Factors, and Enhanced Ultrasound Features for Central Lymph Node Metastasis in Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma\".","authors":"","doi":"10.1177/01617346251408244","DOIUrl":"10.1177/01617346251408244","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":49401,"journal":{"name":"Ultrasonic Imaging","volume":" ","pages":"133"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13058448/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145758245","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dynamic Evaluation of Skeletal Muscle Voluntary Contraction Function Using Pulsed Wave Doppler Imaging: An Exploratory Study Based on Wearable Ultrasound.","authors":"Xinyi Tang, Paul Liu, Xin Liu, Li Qiu","doi":"10.1177/01617346251380791","DOIUrl":"10.1177/01617346251380791","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>To develop dynamic monitoring and quantitative analysis of voluntary skeletal muscle contractions. A novel micro wearable ultrasound system was evaluated in 40 healthy female participants. Using pulsed wave Doppler imaging, we captured the muscle bundle contraction of the flexor digitorum superficialis in dominant hands during repeated isotonic contractions for 8 seconds, in a cycle of five rounds. Waveform patterns and derived peak systolic velocity (PSV) and muscle systolic time (MST) were recorded and analyzed. Participants with low skeletal muscle mass index (SMI < 5.7 kg/m²) or first-quartile handgrip strength (HS) exhibited a split waveform with bidirectional systolic patterns and reduced PSV stability (PSV was 10.24-11.31 cm/s and 10.12-11.71 cm/s for subjects with low-SMI or low-HS in the first round, and was 9.04-11.29 cm/s and 9.86-10.72 cm/s in the last round). In contrast, subjects with higher muscle mass and strength had regular muscle contraction waveforms and higher PSV, which decreased with increasing grip counts and recovered after rest (PSV was 11.11-15.47 cm/s and 11.21-14.88 cm/s for subjects with normal-SMI or normal-HS in the first round, and was 10.63-13.94 cm/s and 10.09-13.97 cm/s in the last round). The micro wearable ultrasound device enables continuous imaging of voluntary skeletal muscle contraction, and the waveforms and their derived quantitative indicators vary among individuals with different muscle mass and strength.</p>","PeriodicalId":49401,"journal":{"name":"Ultrasonic Imaging","volume":" ","pages":"67-73"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145337978","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"2D-SWE Ultrasound Elastography for Subpleural Consolidations: Validating a Novel Approach to Benign-Malignant Differentiation.","authors":"Fernando Vargas-Ursúa, Cristina Ramos-Hernández, José Aguayo-Arjona, Clara Seghers-Carreras, Luis Alberto Pazos-Area, Ignacio Fernández-Granda, Iván Rodríguez-Otero, Eva Gómez-Corredoira, Manuel Pintos-Louro, Julio Ancochea, Alberto Fernández-Villar","doi":"10.1177/01617346251386758","DOIUrl":"10.1177/01617346251386758","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Ultrasound elastography is a novel technology that assesses tissue elasticity. Elastography has been studied in subpleural consolidations, yet findings remain contradictory. This study aims to evaluate the utility of 2D-SWE for differentiating benign and malignant consolidations and to develop a simplified protocol accessible to inexperienced operators and applicable to all patients, regardless of clinical status. Prospective single-center study conducted in a tertiary care hospital. We enrolled 101 consecutive patients with consolidation identified on chest CT or X-ray. 2D-SWE was preferentially performed during forced inspiration; when unfeasible, measurements were acquired during end-expiration or spontaneous breathing. Quantitative measurements (shear wave speed, m/s; and elastic modulus, kPa), alongside qualitative elasticity scores, demonstrated statistically significant differences in distinguishing benign and malignant consolidations during multivariate analysis. ROC curve analysis identified optimal diagnostic cutoffs of 1.72 m/s and 9.1 kPa, both exhibiting 89% sensitivity and 80% specificity. The predominant measurement method was spontaneous breathing (90.1%). 2D-SWE effectively differentiates benign and malignant subpleural consolidations. Our simplified protocol, requiring only five valid measurements and adaptable to spontaneous breathing, if ratified in future studies, could replace complex techniques like prolonged apnea and serve as the standardized method in future clinical guidelines.</p>","PeriodicalId":49401,"journal":{"name":"Ultrasonic Imaging","volume":" ","pages":"114-123"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145439904","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ultrasound Shear Wave Attenuation Estimates are Sensitive to In situ Fluid Content: In vitro and Ex vivo Studies.","authors":"Sapna R Bisht, Akash Chandra, Bhanu Prasad Marri, Jagruti M Patil, Karla P Mercado-Shekhar","doi":"10.1177/01617346251382098","DOIUrl":"10.1177/01617346251382098","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In shear wave elastography, viscoelastic properties of tissues can be estimated by fitting a rheological model to the phase velocity dispersion curve. However, there is a lack of consensus on the model that best represents tissue behavior. Model-free elastography approaches based on shear wave attenuation (SWA) and dispersion slope analysis have been reported previously. This study evaluated the ability of SWA and dispersion slope analysis to assess fluid content in situ using viscoelastic phantoms and ex vivo chicken breast. Model-free parameters were estimated in viscoelastic phantoms (with fluid percentages ranging from 72.6% to 79.9%, and pre- and post-compression by 10%) and ex vivo chicken breast samples pre- and post-hydration. Estimates of SWA were computed using the frequency-shift (FS) and the attenuation measuring shear wave elastography (AMUSE) methods. Dispersion slopes were computed from the phase velocity dispersion curves. The SWA coefficient estimates were strongly correlated with the fluid percentages in phantoms (<i>r</i> = 0.86 and 0.92 for FS and AMUSE methods, respectively, <i>p</i> < 0.001). However, no trends were observed for dispersion slope estimates (<i>r</i> = -0.73, <i>p</i> < 0.001). Thus, SWA was found to be a more sensitive parameter than the dispersion slope for differentiating phantoms with a range of in situ fluid content. Additionally, when phantoms were subjected to compression, SWA was sensitive to changes in compression-induced fluid variations in situ (<i>p</i> < 0.05), but dispersion slope showed no such trends (<i>p</i> = 0.12). The SWA estimates of ex vivo samples significantly increased post-hydration using both methods (<i>p</i> < 0.05), while the dispersion slope decreased. The findings of this study demonstrate that SWA is sensitive to fluid content in situ, which motivates its further development as a marker to assess pathological conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":49401,"journal":{"name":"Ultrasonic Imaging","volume":" ","pages":"100-113"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145432807","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}