title: Implementation of vibro-acoustography on a clinical ultrasound system.
abstract: Vibro-acoustography is an ultrasound-based imaging modality that uses two ultrasound beams of slightly different frequencies to produce images based on the acoustic response caused by harmonic ultrasound radiation force excitation at the difference frequency between the two ultrasound frequencies. Vibro-acoustography has demonstrated feasibility and usefulness in imaging of breast and prostate tissue. However, previous studies have been performed either in controlled water tank settings or a prototype breast scanner equipped with a water tank. To make vibro-acoustography more accessible and relevant to clinical use, we report here on the implementation of vibro-acoustography on a General Electric Vivid 7 ultrasound scanner. In this paper, we will describe software and hardware modifications that were performed to make vibro- acoustography functional on this system. We will discuss aperture definition for the two ultrasound beams and beamforming using a linear-array transducer. Experimental results from beam measurements and phantom imaging studies will be shown. The implementation of vibro-acoustography provides a step toward clinical translation of this imaging modality for applications in various organs including breast, prostate, thyroid, kidney, and liver.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN, USA. urban.matthew@mayo.edu
authors.forename: Matthew W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Urban
authors.forename: Carl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chalek
authors.forename: Randall R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Kinnick
authors.forename: Thomas M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Kinter
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Haider
authors.forename: James F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Greenleaf
authors.forename: Kai E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Thomenius
authors.forename: Mostafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fatemi
mesh_terms: D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008954:Models, Biological; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D011467:Prostate / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D012984:Software; D014159:Transducers; D016217:Ultrasonography, Mammary