Modified Weighting Method for Forward-Looking Ring-Annular Arrays

Abstract

Side-looking Intravascular Ultrasound Systems (IVUS) systems provide high resolution cross-sectional images of vascular structure. However, blood velocity estimation is hampered by the orthogonality of the primary blood flow direction to the imaging plane, and do not image in front of the catheter. A forward-looking aperture would improve the ability to guide interventions and allow Doppler processing for improved blood speed estimates; however, catheter-based systems delivered over a guide wire limit forward-looking array geometry to annular variations. Unfortunately, the imaging characteristics of annular arrays are inferior to a full aperture disk. A modified weighting method for a practical synthetic phased, ring-annular array is presented that achieves a transmit-receive aperture and on-axis performance comparable to a full aperture disk array.

Keywords

Forward-looking ring-annular arrays imaging IVUS ultrasound

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