Tissue motion and elevational speckle decorrelation in freehand 3D ultrasound
Journal
Ultrasonic Imaging
Journal Volume
24
Journal Issue
1
Pages
1-12
Date Issued
2002
Author(s)
Abstract
3D positioning is essential for quantitative volume analysis in 3D ultrasound. Particularly for free-hand scanning without an external positioning device, such information must be estimated by analyzing the original 2D images prior to 3D reconstruction. Previous work on freehand 3D positioning has focused on elevational displacement estimation using speckle decorrelation for linear scans. However, the effects of other types of motion have been ignored. Given that all types of motion potentially introduce speckle decorrelation, the accuracy of the elevational displacement estimation is likely to be diminished by the presence of motions of other types. In the present study, simulations were performed to probe the effects of various motions on elevational displacement estimation. In particular, the effects of rotational motions on image correlation are investigated in detail. It is found that these motions significantly affect the estimation results and thus should be taken into account when reconstructing the 3D image. In addition, speckle variations also affect the estimation even when only elevational motion is present. Finally, full motion analysis in freehand scanning may not be possible by only using speckle correlation analysis unless speckle variations can be reduced and the correlation distribution under complex motion can be obtained.
Subjects
3D ultrasound; Elevational decorrelation; Motion analysis; Speckle correlation; Speckle tracking.
Other Subjects
Image reconstruction; Motion analysis; Speckle; Ultrasonics; 3-D ultrasound; Correlation distribution; De correlations; Displacement estimation; Freehand 3D ultrasound; Speckle correlation analysis; Speckle correlations; Speckle tracking; Motion tracking; artifact reduction; correlation analysis; echography; image quality; image reconstruction; motion; review; three dimensional imaging; article; computer simulation; human; methodology; Computer Simulation; Humans; Imaging, Three-Dimensional; Ultrasonography
Type
journal article