Doppler string phantom for assessment of clinical doppler ultrasound velocity measurement

Purpose: The Doppler string phantom provides accurate velocity of the string motion; it can be used to calibrate Doppler ultrasound (US) velocity measurements and to evaluate variations due to intrinsic spectral broadening. We developed a semi‐automated method to estimate the mode velocity (Vmode) and peak velocity (Vmax) based on duplex US images from a string phantom, and use them to assess clinical Doppler US velocity measurement.Methods: Steady motion of a rubber O‐ring (20 – 110 cm/s) in a CIRS Doppler String phantom (Model 043) was studied using GE LOGIQ E9 system with a 9L probe. 5 s of Doppler spectral data was averaged to generate a mean spectral profile. It was fitted by a Gaussian function and Vmode was defined as the velocity of the Gaussian peak, while Vmax is defined as the velocity at which the spectral profile falls to within 1 SD of the background. Vmode and Vmax were evaluated against the prescribed motor velocity. Repeatability and variation to scanning parameters were analyzed and reported in % range, i.e. (max – min) / mean.Results: Vmode and Vmax had good repeatability over six days (6.0% for Vmode, 2.9% for Vmax). Gain, compression, scale, sample volume (SV) depth and length, frequency and beam steering all had minimal impact on Vmode and Vmax (variations ≤ 4.4%). Doppler angle θ had minimal effect on Vmode (2.2%) but a strong effect on Vmax (26% increase as θ increased from 10° to 60°). Vmode was linearly correlated with but overestimated the motor velocity (Pearson’s r = 1.05, R2 = 1).Conclusion: This study developed a simple yet robust Vmode and Vmax estimation method. Combined with a string phantom, these velocity estimators are shown to be a useful tool to evaluate clinical Doppler US system performance. For the tested system, only Doppler angle has an appreciable impact on Vmax estimation.--------------------------------------------Cite this article as: Zhang Y, Lynch T, Hangiandreou NJ. Doppler string phantom for assessment of clinical doppler ultrasound velocity measurement. Int J Cancer Ther Oncol 2014; 2(2):020246. DOI:10.14319/ijcto.0202.4

Doppler string phantom for assessment of clinical doppler ultrasound velocity measurement

Purpose: The Doppler string phantom provides accurate velocity of the string motion; it can be used to calibrate Doppler ultrasound (US) velocity measurements and to evaluate variations due to intrinsic spectral broadening. We developed a semi‐automated method to estimate the mode velocity (Vmode) and peak velocity (Vmax) based on duplex US images from a string phantom, and use them to assess clinical Doppler US velocity measurement.Methods: Steady motion of a rubber O‐ring (20 – 110 cm/s) in a CIRS Doppler String phantom (Model 043) was studied using GE LOGIQ E9 system with a 9L probe. 5 s of Doppler spectral data was averaged to generate a mean spectral profile. It was fitted by a Gaussian function and Vmode was defined as the velocity of the Gaussian peak, while Vmax is defined as the velocity at which the spectral profile falls to within 1 SD of the background. Vmode and Vmax were evaluated against the prescribed motor velocity. Repeatability and variation to scanning parameters were analyzed and reported in % range, i.e. (max – min) / mean.Results: Vmode and Vmax had good repeatability over six days (6.0% for Vmode, 2.9% for Vmax). Gain, compression, scale, sample volume (SV) depth and length, frequency and beam steering all had minimal impact on Vmode and Vmax (variations ≤ 4.4%). Doppler angle θ had minimal effect on Vmode (2.2%) but a strong effect on Vmax (26% increase as θ increased from 10° to 60°). Vmode was linearly correlated with but overestimated the motor velocity (Pearson’s r = 1.05, R2 = 1).Conclusion: This study developed a simple yet robust Vmode and Vmax estimation method. Combined with a string phantom, these velocity estimators are shown to be a useful tool to evaluate clinical Doppler US system performance. For the tested system, only Doppler angle has an appreciable impact on Vmax estimation.--------------------------------------------Cite this article as: Zhang Y, Lynch T, Hangiandreou NJ. Doppler string phantom for assessment of clinical doppler ultrasound velocity measurement. Int J Cancer Ther Oncol 2014; 2(2):020246. DOI:10.14319/ijcto.0202.46</p