Computational Ultrasound Carotid Artery Imaging With a Few Transceivers: An Emulation Study

• Published in: IEEE transactions on ultrasonics, ferroelectrics, and frequency control Vol. 72; no. 6; pp. 721 - 731
• Main Authors: Hu, Yuyang, Dogan, Didem, Brown, Michael, Leus, Geert, van der Steen, Antonius F. W., Kruizinga, Pieter, Bosch, Johannes G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States IEEE 01.06.2025; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Aberration; Algorithms; B-mode imaging; Carotid arteries; Carotid Arteries - diagnostic imaging; carotid artery (CA); computational ultrasound imaging (cUSi); Computer Simulation; Configurations; Delays; Emulation; Equipment Design; Humans; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted - methods; Image reconstruction; Imaging; In vitro methods and tests; In vivo methods and tests; Linear arrays; Monitoring; Phantoms, Imaging; power Doppler imaging (PDI); Three-dimensional displays; Transceivers; Transducers; Ultrasonic imaging; ultrasonography; Ultrasonography - instrumentation; Ultrasonography - methods
• ISSN: 0885-3010; 1525-8955; 1525-8955
• DOI: 10.1109/TUFFC.2025.3557374

Ultrasonography could allow operator-independent examination and continuous monitoring of the carotid artery (CA) but normally requires complex and expensive transducers, especially for 3-D. By employing computational ultrasound imaging (cUSi), using an aberration mask and model-based reconstruction, a monitoring device could be constructed with a more affordable simple transducer design comprising only a few elements. We aim to apply the cUSi concept to create a CA monitoring system. The system's possible configurations for the 2-D imaging case were explored using a linear array setup emulating a cUSi device in silico, followed by in vitro testing and in vivo CA imaging. Our study shows enhanced reconstruction performance with the use of an aberrating mask, improved lateral resolution through proper choice of the mask delay variation, and more accurate reconstructions using least-squares with QR (LSQR) decomposition compared to matched filtering (MF). Together, these advancements enable B-mode reconstruction and power Doppler imaging (PDI) of the CA with sufficient quality for monitoring using a configuration of 12 transceivers coupled with a random aberration mask with a maximum delay variation of four wave periods (WPs).