Ultrasound contrast imaging with multi-pulse transmission
In ultrasound imaging domain, nonlinear imaging has become an important branch. Nonlinear imaging can be divided into tissue harmonic imaging and contrast harmonic imaging, according to where the nonlinear signals come from. Contrast harmonic imaging emerges because contrast agents, which are intrav...
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| Language: | English |
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INSA de Lyon
2013
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| Online Access: | http://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01018646 http://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/docs/01/01/86/46/PDF/these.pdf |
| Summary: | In ultrasound imaging domain, nonlinear imaging has become an important branch. Nonlinear imaging can be divided into tissue harmonic imaging and contrast harmonic imaging, according to where the nonlinear signals come from. Contrast harmonic imaging emerges because contrast agents, which are intravenously injected to enhance the weak echoes backscattered from blood cells, can vibrate nonlinearly when they undergo an acoustic pressure. Then, these nonlinear signals backscattered by contrast agents are collected to form harmonic images. However, during the wave propagation in tissue, the harmonics of the transmitted wave are also generated in tissue. The presence of tissue harmonic signals degrades the image quality in contrast harmonic imaging. This thesis aims to better distinguish the echoes from contrast agents and the echoes from tissue, whether through designing new modalities, or investigating and optimizing the existing modalities. Our efforts are mainly focused on the multi-pulse techniques in ultrasound contrast imaging. Firstly, we propose a mathematical background to generalize most of the multi-pulse ultrasound imaging techniques that have been described in previous literatures. The formulation can be used to predict the nonlinear components in each frequency band and to design new transmission sequences to either increase or decrease specified nonlinear components in each harmonic band. Simulation results on several multi-pulse techniques are in agreement with the results given in previous literatures. Secondly, the techniques using multiple transmissions to increase the CTR are generally based on the response of static scatterers inside the imaged region. However, scatterer motion, for example in blood vessels, has an inevitable influence on the relevance of the techniques. It can either upgrade or degrade the technique involved. Simulations, in-vitro experiments from a single bubble and clouds of bubbles, and in-vivo experiments from rats show that the phase shift of the echoes backscattered from bubbles is dependent on the transmissions' phase shift, and that the bubble motion influences the efficiency of multi-pulse techniques. Furthermore, experimental results based on the second-harmonic inversion (SHI) technique reveal that bubble motion can be taken into account to optimize multi-pulse techniques. Besides, a new technique, called double pulse inversion (DPI), has also been proposed. The PI technique is applied twice before and after the arrival of the contrast agents to the region of interest. The resulting PI signals are substracted to suppress the tissue-generated harmonics and to improve CTR. Simulations and in-vitro experimental results have shown an improved CTR of DPI. However, the presence of tissue movements may hamper the effectiveness of this technique. In-vivo experimental results confirm that the tissue motion of the rat during the acquisition is an inevitable barrier of this technique. |
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