Volumetric ultrasound imaging has the potential for operator-independent acquisition and enhanced field of view. Panoramic acquisition has many applications across ultrasound; spanning musculoskeletal, liver, breast, and pediatric imaging; and image-guided therapy. Challenges in high-resolution human imaging, such as subtle motion and the presence of bone or gas, have limited such acquisition. These issues can be addressed with a large transducer aperture and fast acquisition and processing. Programmable, ultrafast ultrasound scanners with a high channel count provide an unprecedented opportunity to optimize volumetric acquisition. In this work, we implement nonlinear processing and develop distributed beamformation to achieve fast acquisition over a 47-centimeter aperture. As a result, we achieve a 50-micrometer −6-decibel point spread function at 5 megahertz and resolve in-plane targets. A large volume scan of a human limb is completed in a few seconds, and in a 2-millimeter dorsal vein, the image intensity difference between the vessel center and surrounding tissue was ~50 decibels, facilitating three-dimensional reconstruction of the vasculature.

中文翻译：

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快速体积超声有利于组织区室的高分辨率 3D 测绘


体积超声成像具有独立于操作员的采集和增强视野的潜力。全景采集在超声领域有许多应用；涵盖肌肉骨骼、肝脏、乳房和儿科成像；和图像引导治疗。高分辨率人体成像的挑战，例如微妙的运动以及骨骼或气体的存在，限制了这种采集。这些问题可以通过大传感器孔径和快速采集和处理来解决。具有高通道数的可编程超快超声扫描仪为优化体积采集提供了前所未有的机会。在这项工作中，我们实现了非线性处理并开发了分布式波束形成，以实现 47 厘米孔径的快速采集。结果，我们在 5 兆赫兹下实现了 50 微米 -6 分贝的点扩散函数并解析了面内目标。人体肢体的大体积扫描在几秒钟内完成，在2毫米的背静脉中，血管中心与周围组织之间的图像强度差异约为50分贝，有利于脉管系统的三维重建。