通过稀疏阵列与零点减法,实现高帧率三维超声成像。
Volumetric Ultrasound via 3D Null Subtraction Imaging with Circular and Spiral Apertures
- 采用非线性零点减法结合螺旋稀疏阵列设计,降低计算负担。
- 相比传统延时叠加法,方位与径向分辨率提升36%,对比度提高20%。
- 仅用240个激活单元,实现每秒上千帧,适合实时4D成像应用。
三维超声成像面临图像质量、帧率与硬件复杂度之间的根本权衡。本文提出一种三维零点减法成像(3D NSI)非线性波束成形框架,通过计算高效的零点减法过程与面向多路复用的稀疏阵列设计,在矩阵阵列上实现优化。评估了三种加权配置:全地址圆形孔径及两种费马螺旋稀疏孔径。为解决矩阵阵列在低通道数系统中常见的通道共享限制,提出一种螺旋‘无重用’加权策略,确保发射-接收事件间元件集不重叠。该设计解决了多路复用冲突,使采集体积速率最高提升16倍,仅使用1024单元探头中的240个活跃单元。计算机仿真与组织模拟体模实验表明,3D NSI在匹配发射/接收配置下,平均方位与横向分辨率提升36%,对比度约提高20%。采用螺旋无重用孔径时,3D NSI实现超过1000体积/秒的帧率,计算负载低于延迟叠加(DAS)的三倍,具备实时4D成像的实际可行性。
原文摘要 · Abstract (English)
Volumetric ultrasound imaging faces a fundamental trade-off among image quality, frame rate, and hardware complexity. This study introduces three-dimensional Null Subtraction Imaging (3D NSI), a nonlinear beamforming framework that addresses this trade-off by combining computationally efficient null-subtraction process with multiplexing-aware sparse aperture designs on matrix arrays. We evaluate three apodization configurations: a fully addressed circular aperture and two Fermat's spiral sparse apertures. To overcome channel-sharing constraints common in matrix arrays multiplexed with low-channel-count ultrasound systems, we propose a spiral "no-reuse" apodization that enforces non-overlapping element sets across transmit-receive events. This design resolves multiplexing conflicts and enables up to a 16-fold increase in acquisition volume rate using only 240 active elements on a 1024-element probe. In computer simulations and tissue-mimicking phantom experiments, 3D NSI achieved an average improvement of 36% in azimuthal and elevational resolutions, along with an approximately 20% higher contrast ratio, compared to the conventional Delay-and-Sum (DAS) beamformer under matched transmit/receive configurations. When implemented with the spiral no-reuse aperture, the 3D NSI framework achieved over 1000 volumes per second with a computational load less than three times that of DAS, making it a practical solution for real-time 4D imaging.
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