• DOI:10.1109/IUS52206.2021.9593488
• Corpus ID: 243848228

Frequency-Dependent F-Number Increases the Contrast and the Spatial Resolution in Fast Pulse-Echo Ultrasound Imaging

@article{Schiffner2021FrequencyDependentFI,
  title={Frequency-Dependent F-Number Increases the Contrast and the Spatial Resolution in Fast Pulse-Echo Ultrasound Imaging},
  author={Martin F. Schiffner and Georg Schmitz},
  journal={2021 IEEE International Ultrasonics Symposium (IUS)},
  year={2021},
  pages={1-4}
}

• M. Schiffner, G. Schmitz
• Published 11 September 2021
• Physics
• 2021 IEEE International Ultrasonics Symposium (IUS)

Fixed F-numbers reduce grating lobe artifacts in fast pulse-echo ultrasound imaging. Such F-numbers result in dynamic receive subapertures whose widths vary with the focal position. These subapertures, however, ignore useful low-frequency components in the excluded radio frequency (RF) signals and, thus, reduce the lateral resolution. Here, we propose a frequency-dependent F-number to simultaneously suppress grating lobe artifacts and maintain the lateral resolution. This F-number, at high frequencies, reduces the receive subaperture to remove spatially undersampled components of the RF signals and suppress grating lobes. The F-number, at low frequencies, enlarges the receive subaperture to use the components of all RF signals and maintain the lateral resolution. Experiments validated the proposed F-number and demonstrated improvements in the contrast and the widths of wire targets of up to 3.2 % and 12.8 %, respectively.