Software Implementation of Optimized Bicubic Interpolated Scan Conversion in Echocardiography

This paper presents the image-quality-guided strategy for optimization of bicubic interpolation and interpolated scan conversion algorithms. This strategy uses feature selection through line chart data visualization technique and first index of the minimum absolute difference between computed scores and ideal scores to determine the image quality guided coefficient k that changes all sixteen BIC coefficients to new coefficients on which the OBIC interpolation algorithm is based. Perceptual evaluations of cropped sectored images from Matlab software implementation of interpolated scan conversion algorithms are presented. Also, IQA metrics-based evaluation is presented and demonstrates that the overall performance of the OBIC algorithm is 92.22% when compared with BIC alone, but becomes 57.22% with all other methods mentioned.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, 6 table

Ultrasound Three- Dimensional Velocity Measurements by Feature Tracking

This article describes a new angle-independent method suitable for three-dimensional (3-D) blood flow velocity measurement that tracks features of the ultrasonic speckle produced by a pulse echo system. In this method, a feature is identified and followed over time to detect motion. Other blood flow velocity measurement methods typically estimate velocity using one- (1-D) or two-dimensional (2-D) spatial and time information. Speckle decorrelation due to motion in the elevation dimension may hinder this estimate of the true 3-D blood flow velocity vector. Feature tracking is a 3-D method with the ability to measure the true blood velocity vector rather than a projection onto a line or plane. Off-line experiments using a tissue phantom and a real-time volumetric ultrasound imaging system have shown that the local maximum detected value of the speckle signal may be identified and tracked for measuring velocities typical of human blood flow. The limitations of feature tracking, including the uncertainty of the peak location and the duration of the local maxima are discussed. An analysis of the expected error using this method is given

C-mode real time tomographic reflection for a matrix array ultrasound sonic flashlight

Abstract. Real Time Tomographic Reflection (RTTR), permits in situ visualization of tomographic images, so that natural hand-eye coordination can be employed directly during invasive procedures. The method merges the visual outer surface of the patient with a simultaneous scan of the patient’s interior, using a half-silvered mirror. A viewpoint-independent virtual image is reflected precisely into the proper location. When applied to ultrasound, we call the resulting RTTR device the sonic flashlight. We have previously implemented the sonic flashlight using conventional 2D ultrasound. In this paper we present the first images from a new sonic flashlight based on Real Time 3D (RT3D) ultrasound, which uses a matrix array to electronically steer the ultrasound beam at very high speed. We show in situ C-mode images, which are parallel to the face of the transducer, of the hand and the cardiac ventricles.