This work demonstrates that the combination of multi-line transmission (MLT) and short-lag spatial coherence (SLSC) imaging improves the contrast of highly coherent structures within soft tissues when compared to both traditional SLSC imaging and conventional delay and sum (DAS) beamforming. Experimental tests with small (i.e., [Formula: see text]-3 mm) targets embedded in homogeneous and heterogeneous backgrounds were conducted. DAS or SLSC images were reconstructed when implementing MLT with varying numbers of simultaneously transmitted beams. In images degraded by acoustic clutter, MLT SLSC achieved up to 34.1 dB better target contrast and up to 16 times higher frame rates when compared to the more conventional single-line transmission SLSC images, with lateral resolution improvements as large as 38.2%. MLT SLSC thus represents a promising technique for clinical applications in which ultrasound visualization of highly coherent targets is required (e.g., breast microcalcifications, kidney stones, and percutaneous biopsy needle tracking) and would otherwise be challenging due to the strong presence of acoustic clutter.

中文翻译：

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具有多线传输的空间相干波束形成以增强由声杂波劣化的超声图像中相干结构的对比度。

这项工作表明，与传统的 SLSC 成像和传统的延迟求和 (DAS) 波束成形相比，多线传输 (MLT) 和短延迟空间相干 (SLSC) 成像的组合提高了软组织内高度相干结构的对比度. 对嵌入在同质和异质背景中的小（即[公式：见正文]-3 毫米）目标进行了实验测试。DAS 或 SLSC 图像在使用不同数量的同时传输波束实施 MLT 时被重建。在因杂波而退化的图像中，与更传统的单线传输 SLSC 图像相比，MLT SLSC 实现了高达 34.1 dB 的更好的目标对比度和高达 16 倍的帧速率，横向分辨率提高了 38.2%。