A new method of compensating for the attenuation of ultrasound by chest wall, myocardium and blood has been devised by using an optimum threshold to distinguish between blood and myocardium. This allows changing receiver gain at rates suitable for either blood or myocardium for each line-of-sight forming a real-time image. Compensation artifacts arising from the effects of speckle or phase cancellation are minimized by using a one-bit digital filter after threshold detection. This method of compensation is a necessary first step toward quantitative two-dimensional echocardiography.
MeltonH.E.Jr.SkortonD.J.Rational Gain Compensation for Attenuation in Ultrasonic Cardiac Imaging, in 1981 IEEE Ultrasonics Symposium Proceedings, pp. 607–611 (IEEE Cat. No. 81CH 1689–9).
2.
O'DonnellM.BauwensD.MimbsJ.W.MillerJ.G.Broadband Integrated Backscatter: An Approach to Spatially Localized Tissue Characterization In Vivo, in 1979 IEEE Ultrasonics Symposium Proceedings, pp. 175–178 (IEEE Cat. No. 79CH 1482–9).
3.
CohenR.D.MottleyJ.G.MillerJ.G.KumickP.B.SobelB.E.Detection of ischemic myocardium in vivo through the chest wall by quantitative ultrasonic tissue characterization, Am. J. Cardiol.50, 838–843 (1982).
4.
MimbsJ.W.BauwensD.CohenR.D.O'DonnellM.MillerJ.G.SobelB.E.Effects of myocardial ischemia on quantitative ultrasonic backscatter and identification of responsible determinants, Circ. Res.49, 89–96 (1981).
5.
CarstensenE.L.LiK.SchwanH.P.Determination of the acoustical properties of blood and its components, J. Acoust. Soc. Am.25, 286 (1953).
6.
MimbsJ.W.O'DonnellM.MillerJ.G.SobelB.E.Changes in ultrasonic attenuation indicative of early myocardial ischemic injury, Am. J. Physiol.236, H340-H344 (1979).
CampbellN.The study of discontinuous phenomena, discontinuities in light emission, Proc. Cambridge Philosophical Soc.15, 117–136; 310–328 (1909, 1910).
10.
BendatJ.S.Principles and Applications of Random Noise Theory (John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1958).
11.
AbramowitzM.StegunI.A.Handbook of Mathematical Functions (NBS, Applied Math Series 55, Seventh Printing, 1964).
12.
BarzilaiB.PérezJ.E.MadarasE.MillerJ.G.SobelB.E.The influence of contraction on ultrasonic backscatter of normal and ischemic myocardium, Circulation66, Part II, II-30 (1982).
