Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Twofold minimum variance beamforming for enhanced ultrasound imaging

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Journal of Medical Ultrasonics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

To calculate the optimal weights of a minimum variance (MV) beamformer, the covariance matrix of the received data should be estimated. In ultrasound imaging, it is done through spatial smoothing. However, this technique reduces the effective aperture and consequently limits the attainable resolution. To mitigate this effect, we propose a new configuration for applying an adaptive beamforming method.

Methods

The method is based on applying MV in a twofold configuration such that the outputs of the subarrays are combined through an adaptive MV-like beamformer, instead of simply summing them. In this way, a fully adaptive beamformer is obtained.

Results

Applying the method on a phantom containing point targets has shown that off-axis signals are attenuated more in comparison to MV. This results in a lowered mainlobe width and decreased sidelobe levels. Moreover, simulation results of a cyst phantom confirm the superiority of the method over the MV in terms of contrast.

Conclusion

The method yields significant improvement in the resolving capability and the contrast compared with the conventional MV. At the presence of the steering vector errors, these superiorities were achieved at a cost of slightly more errors in estimating the reflectivity coefficients.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Viola F, Ellis MA, Walker WF. Time-domain optimized near-field estimator for ultrasound imaging: initial development and results. IEEE Trans Med Imaging. 2008;27:99–110.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  2. Synnevag JF, Austeng A, Holm S. Adaptive beamforming applied to medical ultrasound imaging. IEEE Trans Ultrason Ferroelectr Freq Control. 2007;54:1606–13.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Holfort IK, Gran F, Jensen JA. Broadband minimum variance beamforming for ultrasound imaging. IEEE Trans Ultrason Ferroelectr Freq Control. 2009;56:314–25.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Synnevag JF, Austeng A, Holm S. Benefits of minimum variance beamforming in medical ultrasound imaging. IEEE Trans Ultrason Ferroelectr Freq Control. 2009;56:1868–79.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Asl BM, Mahloojifar A. Contrast enhancement and robustness improvement of adaptive ultrasound imaging using forward-backward minimum variance beamforming. IEEE Trans Ultrason Ferroelectr Freq Control. 2011;58:858–67.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Deylami AM, Asl BM. Amplitude and phase estimator combined with the Wiener postfilter for medical ultrasound imaging. J Med Ultrason. 2016;43:11–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Hasegawa H. Improvement of penetration of modified amplitude and phase estimation beamformer. J Med Ultrason. 2016;21:1–9.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Shan TJ, Kailath T. Adaptive beamforming for coherent signals and interferences. IEEE Trans Acoust Speech Signal Process. 1985;33:527–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Takao K, Kikuma N. An adaptive array utilizing an adaptive spatial averaging technique for multipath environments. IEEE Trans Antennas Propag. 1987;35:1389–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Taki H, Taki K, Sakamoto T, et al. High range resolution ultrasonographic vascular imaging using frequency domain interferometry with the Capon method. IEEE Trans Med Imaging. 2012;31:417–29.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Asl BM, Mahloojifar A. Eigenspace-based minimum variance beamforming applied to medical ultrasound imaging. IEEE Trans Ultrason Ferroelectr Freq Control. 2010;57:2381–90.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Mehdizade S, Austeng A, Johansen TF, et al. Eigenspace based minimum variance beamforming applied to ultrasound imaging of acoustically hard tissues. IEEE Trans Med Imaging. 2012;31:1912–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Synnevag JF, Nilsen CIC, Holm S. P2B-13 speckle statistics in adaptive beamforming. Proceedings of IEEE Ultrasonics Symposium, 28–31 Oct 2007. IEEE, p. 1545–8.

  14. Holfrot IK, Gran F, Jensen JA. Investigation of sound speed errors in adaptive beamforming. Proceedings of IEEE Ultrasonics Symposium, 2–5 Nov 2008. IEEE, p. 1080–3.

  15. Chang L, Yeh CC. Performance of DMI and eigenspace-based beamformers. IEEE Trans Antennas Propag. 1992;40:1336–47.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Feldman DD, Griffiths LJ. A projection approach for robust adaptive beamforming. IEEE Trans Signal Process. 1994;42:867–76.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Jeong MK. A Fourier transform-based sidelobe reduction method in ultrasound imaging. IEEE Trans Ultras Ferroelectr Freq Control. 2000;47:759–63.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Jensen JA. Field: a program for simulating ultrasound systems. Med Biol Eng Comput. 1996;34:351–3.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Li PC, Li ML. Adaptive imaging using the generalized coherence factor. IEEE Trans Ultras Ferroelectr Freq Control. 2003;50:128–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Krishnan S, Rigby KW, O’Donnell M. Improved estimation of phase aberration profile. IEEE Trans Ultrason Ferroelectr Freq Control. 1997;44:701–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Babol Noshirvani University of Technology, Babol, Iran

    Sayed Mahmoud Sakhaei & Seyede Elham Shamsian

Authors
  1. Sayed Mahmoud Sakhaei
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Seyede Elham Shamsian
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sayed Mahmoud Sakhaei.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

Sayed Mahmoud Sakhaei and Seyede Elham Shamsian declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical statements

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Sakhaei, S.M., Shamsian, S.E. Twofold minimum variance beamforming for enhanced ultrasound imaging. J Med Ultrasonics 45, 17–24 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10396-017-0787-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10396-017-0787-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation