Basic Science and Instrumentation Scientific Session 1
Null Subtraction Imaging Combined with Harmonic Imaging for Contrast-Free Microvessel Imaging
Sunday, April 7, 2024
9:02am – 9:14am
Location: 412
Authors: Michael Oelze, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign zhengchang kou, University of Illinois Urbana-Champagin
Power Doppler microvessel imaging using ultrasound localization microscopy requires the injection of contrast agents and tracking and localization increases computational burden. In this work we present a novel nonlinear beamforming approach, called null subtraction imaging (NSI), that uses the nulls in a beam pattern to dramatically improve spatial resolution of power Doppler without the injection of contrast agents. NSI was combined with harmonic imaging to produce images of microvessel and results were compared to delay-and-sum beamforming. NSI resulted in high resolution microvessel images with spatial resolution approaching one fourth of the wavelength and with higher contrast compared to the delay-and-sum beamforming approach.