An analytical approach to optimize radial synthetic aperture focusing
for volumetric transrectal ultrasound imaging
Abstract
In this paper, we present a novel analytical approach to optimize radial
synthetic aperture focusing framework for high-definite and
high-sensitive volumetric transrectal ultrasound imaging (TRUS-rSAF). A
closed-form analytical description of beam profile defines spatial
resolution and grating lobe positions in the TRUS-rSAF imaging of radial
plane and validated by a heuristic testing of the critical parameters.
Given the theoretical foundation, we optimize the TRUS-rSAF system
configuration to balance the spatial and temporal resolution, grating
lobe artifacts, and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in radial plane with a
design criterion to outperform a clinical volumetric TRUS (TRUS-REF)
imaging. The results showed that the proposed analytical optimization
provides significant improvements of imaging quality in radial plane
even over an in-plane microconvex TRUS imaging. Therefore, our
analytical approach provides a optimal framework for effective TRUS-rSAF
imaging in clinics.