Rotation Elastogram Estimation Using Mechanical Assisted Spatial Compounding: A simulation study

BELFOR GALAZ; TERESA HENRIQUEZ; DAVID ESPINDOLA; MIGUEL TREJO

Simposio; IEEE Latin America Ultrasonics Symposium; 2021

In quasi-static ultrasound elastography the breasttumor classification may be done by using the rotation fill-insignature presents in the rotation elastogram, which is a markerof benignity that originate from the lesion rotation as a productof a laterally asymmetric stress field. However, the well-knownlow lateral resolution limitation of ultrasound imaging reducesthe image quality of rotation elastogram. Studies using beam-steering, synthetic transmit aperture (STA) and diverging beamwith STA methods have shown that the rotation elastogramquality can be significantly improved. In this context, we aimto study the feasibility of improve the rotation elastogram bymechanical assisted spatial compounding of displacements imagesfrom different ultrasound probe angles. We present a numericalstudy of the rotation elastogram contrast-to-noise enhancementby spatial compounding of displacement images obtained fromquasi-static small compression at different ultrasound probeangles. Instead of steer electronically the insonofication beam,the ultrasound probe is rotated itself. Our results show thatthe contrast-to-noise ratio of the rotation elastogram can besignificantly improved by increasing the number of displacementimages used in the spatial compounding for small scanningangles