Abstract
Tissue Harmonic Imaging (THI) is a relatively new modality that has had a significant impact in the ultrasound field. In the recent past, imaging the mechanical properties of tissues using elastography has also gained great interest. In this paper, we investigate the feasibility of combining these two state-of-the-art ultrasound-imaging modalities. The performance of elastograms obtained using harmonic ultrasonic signals is studied with simulations and compared to the performance of conventional elastograms using standard statistical methods. Experiments are used as a proof of the technical feasibility of generating tissue-harmonic elastograms using experimental harmonic signals. The results of our simulation study indicate that all image quality factors considered in this study (elastographic signal-to-noise ratio, elastographic contrast-to-noise ratio and spatial resolution) may be improved when using harmonic ultrasonic signals, provided that the ultrasound system is characterized by high bandwidth, high sampling frequency and large lateral sampling. Preliminary experimental results suggest that it is technically feasible to generate experimental elastograms using harmonic signals, provided that the sonographic signal-to-noise ratio of the pre- and postcompression harmonic frames is suffi ciently high to guarantee reliable values of correlation.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 103-117 |
Number of pages | 15 |
Journal | Ultrasonic Imaging |
Volume | 32 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Apr 2010 |
Keywords
- Elasticity imaging
- Elastogram
- Elastography
- Frequency compounding
- Imaging
- Strain
- THI
- Tissue harmonic
- Ultrasound
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Radiological and Ultrasound Technology
- Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging