TY - JOUR
T1 - Image quality evaluation of ultrasound imaging systems
T2 - advanced B-modes
AU - Sassaroli, Elisabetta
AU - Crake, Calum
AU - Scorza, Andrea
AU - Kim, Don Soo
AU - Park, Mi Ae
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 The Authors. Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Association of Physicists in Medicine.
PY - 2019/3
Y1 - 2019/3
N2 - The Quality assurance of ultrasound clinical imaging systems is essential for maintaining their performance to the highest level and for complying with the requirements by various regulatory and accrediting agencies. Although there is no standardization yet, most of the quality assessment procedures available in literature are proposed for B-mode and Doppler imaging. However, ultrasound imaging systems offer a variety of advanced imaging modes, besides B-mode and Doppler, which are primarily aimed at improving image quality. This study presents computer-based methods for evaluating image quality for the advanced imaging modes of ultrasound imaging systems: harmonic imaging, spatial compounding imaging, adaptive speckle reduction, and tissue aberration correction. The functions and parameters proposed for evaluating image quality are: grayscale mapping function, image contrast, contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and high-contrast spatial resolution. We present our computer-based methods for evaluating image quality of these modes with a number of probe and scanner combinations, which were employed to image targets in ultrasound phantoms. The functions and parameters here proposed in image quality performance evaluation are: grayscale mapping function, image contrast, CNR, and high-contrast spatial resolution. We show that these quantities could be useful in developing standardized methods for evaluating the advanced ultrasound imaging modes, especially when the advanced mode resulted in subtle visual differences.
AB - The Quality assurance of ultrasound clinical imaging systems is essential for maintaining their performance to the highest level and for complying with the requirements by various regulatory and accrediting agencies. Although there is no standardization yet, most of the quality assessment procedures available in literature are proposed for B-mode and Doppler imaging. However, ultrasound imaging systems offer a variety of advanced imaging modes, besides B-mode and Doppler, which are primarily aimed at improving image quality. This study presents computer-based methods for evaluating image quality for the advanced imaging modes of ultrasound imaging systems: harmonic imaging, spatial compounding imaging, adaptive speckle reduction, and tissue aberration correction. The functions and parameters proposed for evaluating image quality are: grayscale mapping function, image contrast, contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and high-contrast spatial resolution. We present our computer-based methods for evaluating image quality of these modes with a number of probe and scanner combinations, which were employed to image targets in ultrasound phantoms. The functions and parameters here proposed in image quality performance evaluation are: grayscale mapping function, image contrast, CNR, and high-contrast spatial resolution. We show that these quantities could be useful in developing standardized methods for evaluating the advanced ultrasound imaging modes, especially when the advanced mode resulted in subtle visual differences.
KW - B mode
KW - adaptive speckle reduction
KW - compound imaging
KW - harmonic imaging
KW - speed of sound correction
KW - tissue aberration correction
KW - ultrasound imaging quality assurance
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U2 - 10.1002/acm2.12544
DO - 10.1002/acm2.12544
M3 - Article
C2 - 30861278
AN - SCOPUS:85062765713
SN - 1526-9914
VL - 20
SP - 115
EP - 124
JO - Journal of applied clinical medical physics
JF - Journal of applied clinical medical physics
IS - 3
ER -