[Review of Recent Medical Ultrasonic Technology]
This paper was reviewed in recent progress of medical ultrasonic technology. Obviously in 21 century we face to the second generation of ultrasonic technology in medicine. First of all, B-mode imaging and Doppler color flow mapping have been improved by the digital beam forming technology. This technology leads to high research activity in the field of image processing such as automated tumor segmentation. Harmonic imaging is also newly developed technology. This technique uses harmonic component of echoes while the ultrasound waves are traveling through the nonlinear media such as biological tissues so that high quality images are obtained. Contrast echo method is expected to detect small echo signals from slow and small blood flow. Harmonic power Doppler imaging using micro bubbles is expected to detect early stage of cancer. Three dimensional real time imaging is next generation of ultrasonic image diagnosis system. Two dimensional array is a key technology to realize this imaging. Finally, ultrasonic therapy is described.
Akiyama
Iwaki
I
Department of Electric and Electronic Media Engineering Shonan Institute of Technology. akiyama@akiyama.elec.shonan-it.ac.jp