Ultrasound contrast agent imaging: Real-time imaging of the superharmonics

Currently, in medical ultrasound contrast agent (UCA) imaging the second harmonic scattering of the microbubbles is regularly used. This scattering is in competition with the signal that is caused by nonlinear wave propagation in tissue. It was reported that UCA imaging based on the third or higher harmonics, i.e. “superharmonic” imaging, shows...

Calibrating Doppler imaging of preterm intracerebral circulation using a microvessel flow phantom

Introduction: Preterm infants are born during critical stages of brain development, in which the adaptive capacity of the fetus to extra-uterine environment is limited. Inadequate brain perfusion has been directly linked to preterm brain damage. Advanced high-frequency ultrasound probes and processing algorithms allow visualization of...

Comparison of fundamental, second harmonic, and superharmonic imaging: A simulation study

In medical ultrasound, fundamental imaging (FI) uses the reflected echoes from the same spectral band as that of the emitted pulse. The transmission frequency determines the trade-off between penetration depth and spatial resolution. Tissue harmonic imaging (THI) employs the second harmonic of the emitted frequency band to construct images....

Feasibility study of superharmonic imaging using chirps

Superharmonic imaging (SHI) targets a combination of the 3rd to 5th harmonics. It was proven to have certain advantages in comparison with the established imaging standards in medical utrasound. SHI enhances the spatial resolution and improves the quality of echographic images, mainly by eliminating reverberation artifacts at the chest wall....

Computation of three-dimensional, pulsed, nonlinear acoustic wavefields from medical phased array transducers in very large domains

For the optimization and development of medical ultrasound transducers and imaging modalities, the Iterative Nonlinear Contrast Source (INCS) method has been developed. This numerical method predicts the nonlinear acoustic pressure field, generated by a pulsed, plane source with an arbitrary aperture, and propagating in a three-dimensional...