Publications
2024
Kanashiro, Gilson Maekawa; Maia, Joaquim Miguel; Assef, Amauri Amorim; Carbente, Rubem Petri; Costa, Eduardo Tavares
Ultrasound Signal Processing Using Compounding Plane Waves and Wavelet Analysis Proceedings Article
Em: 2024 IEEE UFFC Latin America Ultrasonics Symposium (LAUS), pp. 1-4, 2024.
@inproceedings{10552934,
title = {Ultrasound Signal Processing Using Compounding Plane Waves and Wavelet Analysis},
author = {Gilson Maekawa Kanashiro and Joaquim Miguel Maia and Amauri Amorim Assef and Rubem Petri Carbente and Eduardo Tavares Costa},
url = {https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/10552934},
doi = {10.1109/LAUS60931.2024.10552934},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-05-01},
urldate = {2024-05-01},
booktitle = {2024 IEEE UFFC Latin America Ultrasonics Symposium (LAUS)},
pages = {1-4},
abstract = {Ultrasound (US) images are one of the safest ex-amination resources for medical diagnoses. Many noticeable innovations have arisen recently, particularly the Coherent Plane Waves Compounding (CPWC) and the Wavelet Transform (WT) based analysis. CPWC solves the problem of fast frame rate, achieving thousands of frames per second. However, improving image quality and suppressing or eliminating noises remain a challenge. This work aims to investigate the CPWC and WT-generated images for future applications in Doppler images. Two experiments were carried out: 1) In silico uses stepwise customized procedures with db4 wavelet, 2) In vitro uses representatives of db, symmetry, biorthogonal, and morse wavelets families, with automatic procedures according to built-in functions of MATLAB Wavelet Toolbox. In Experiment 1, the wavelet processing (db4) eliminates some artifacts. It showed qualitatively a gain of contrast and attenuation in other regions. In Experiment 2, SNR and CNR metrics pointed out bior2.4 with the higher values: 1.5101 and 0.7427, respectively. On the other hand, morse wavelet and customized filtering code mark the lowest CR = 0.1464. The experiments made possible some conclusions: The higher the vanishing moments, the better the results. The better results come from stepwise controlling the signal processing; this last approach is convenient for testing novel Doppler techniques, like speckle tracking and Vector Flow image applications.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Ultrasound (US) images are one of the safest ex-amination resources for medical diagnoses. Many noticeable innovations have arisen recently, particularly the Coherent Plane Waves Compounding (CPWC) and the Wavelet Transform (WT) based analysis. CPWC solves the problem of fast frame rate, achieving thousands of frames per second. However, improving image quality and suppressing or eliminating noises remain a challenge. This work aims to investigate the CPWC and WT-generated images for future applications in Doppler images. Two experiments were carried out: 1) In silico uses stepwise customized procedures with db4 wavelet, 2) In vitro uses representatives of db, symmetry, biorthogonal, and morse wavelets families, with automatic procedures according to built-in functions of MATLAB Wavelet Toolbox. In Experiment 1, the wavelet processing (db4) eliminates some artifacts. It showed qualitatively a gain of contrast and attenuation in other regions. In Experiment 2, SNR and CNR metrics pointed out bior2.4 with the higher values: 1.5101 and 0.7427, respectively. On the other hand, morse wavelet and customized filtering code mark the lowest CR = 0.1464. The experiments made possible some conclusions: The higher the vanishing moments, the better the results. The better results come from stepwise controlling the signal processing; this last approach is convenient for testing novel Doppler techniques, like speckle tracking and Vector Flow image applications.
Assef, Amauri Amorin; Contieri, Ednilson Souza; Kanashiro, Gilson Maekawa; Kohler, Michel Andrey Freitas; Maia, Joaquim Miguel; Costa, Eduardo Tavares
A Computer-Controlled FPGA-Based Pulser/Receiver System for Ultrasound Instrumentation Proceedings Article
Em: 2024 IEEE UFFC Latin America Ultrasonics Symposium (LAUS), pp. 1-4, 2024.
@inproceedings{10553121,
title = {A Computer-Controlled FPGA-Based Pulser/Receiver System for Ultrasound Instrumentation},
author = {Amauri Amorin Assef and Ednilson Souza Contieri and Gilson Maekawa Kanashiro and Michel Andrey Freitas Kohler and Joaquim Miguel Maia and Eduardo Tavares Costa},
url = {https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10553121},
doi = {10.1109/LAUS60931.2024.10553121},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-05-01},
urldate = {2024-05-01},
booktitle = {2024 IEEE UFFC Latin America Ultrasonics Symposium (LAUS)},
pages = {1-4},
abstract = {Developing novel ultrasound methods for biomedical investigations typically requires costly instruments, which are not always available in research laboratories. This paper describes the implementation of a flexible computer-controlled FPGA-based pulser/receiver (P/R) system for ultrasound research. The system's main features are limited dimensions, the capability to generate complex waveforms using the Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) technique, and direct access to raw data. The proposed system was characterized in the first evaluation by measuring the central frequency and bandwidth of the output waveforms generated using a 5 MHz transducer. A 3-cycle 5 MHz sinusoidal excitation pulse with the Hanning window and a 5 µs chirp pulse from 3 to 7 MHz with the Tukey window were applied. Next, phantom experiments were performed using a 1.6 MHz transducer to measure the resolution of 15 targets with 1 mm diameter and 10 mm apart in the axial direction using the FWHM method. The results demonstrate that the P/R system can be used for medical ultrasound research and instrumentation, including piezoelectric transducer driver, high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), non-destructive testing (NDT), and pulse waveform generator.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Developing novel ultrasound methods for biomedical investigations typically requires costly instruments, which are not always available in research laboratories. This paper describes the implementation of a flexible computer-controlled FPGA-based pulser/receiver (P/R) system for ultrasound research. The system's main features are limited dimensions, the capability to generate complex waveforms using the Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) technique, and direct access to raw data. The proposed system was characterized in the first evaluation by measuring the central frequency and bandwidth of the output waveforms generated using a 5 MHz transducer. A 3-cycle 5 MHz sinusoidal excitation pulse with the Hanning window and a 5 µs chirp pulse from 3 to 7 MHz with the Tukey window were applied. Next, phantom experiments were performed using a 1.6 MHz transducer to measure the resolution of 15 targets with 1 mm diameter and 10 mm apart in the axial direction using the FWHM method. The results demonstrate that the P/R system can be used for medical ultrasound research and instrumentation, including piezoelectric transducer driver, high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), non-destructive testing (NDT), and pulse waveform generator.
Kanashiro, Gilson Maekawa; Kohler, Michel Andrey Freitas Souza; Contieri, Ednilson Souza; Bairro, Rojelio; Neves, Larissa Comar; Oliveira, Thiago Mathias; Assef, Amauri Amorin; Maia, Joaquim Miguel; Costa, Eduardo Tavares
Design, Simulation and Analysis of a MATLAB/Simulink Based Delay-and-Sum Beamforming Model for Ultrasound Imaging Proceedings Article
Em: Marques, Jefferson Luiz Brum; Rodrigues, Cesar Ramos; Suzuki, Daniela Ota Hisayasu; Neto, José Marino; Ojeda, Renato García (Ed.): IX Latin American Congress on Biomedical Engineering and XXVIII Brazilian Congress on Biomedical Engineering, pp. 437–448, Springer Nature Switzerland, Cham, 2024, ISBN: 978-3-031-49404-8.
@inproceedings{10.1007/978-3-031-49404-8_42,
title = {Design, Simulation and Analysis of a MATLAB/Simulink Based Delay-and-Sum Beamforming Model for Ultrasound Imaging},
author = {Gilson Maekawa Kanashiro and Michel Andrey Freitas Souza Kohler and Ednilson Souza Contieri and Rojelio Bairro and Larissa Comar Neves and Thiago Mathias Oliveira and Amauri Amorin Assef and Joaquim Miguel Maia and Eduardo Tavares Costa},
editor = {Jefferson Luiz Brum Marques and Cesar Ramos Rodrigues and Daniela Ota Hisayasu Suzuki and José Marino Neto and Renato García Ojeda},
url = {https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-49404-8_42},
isbn = {978-3-031-49404-8},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-01-01},
urldate = {2024-01-01},
booktitle = {IX Latin American Congress on Biomedical Engineering and XXVIII Brazilian Congress on Biomedical Engineering},
pages = {437–448},
publisher = {Springer Nature Switzerland},
address = {Cham},
abstract = {In ultrasound research, an important subject is the quality of image assessment. Despite a myriad of technological solutions, qualitative and quantitative metrics are critical indicators to measure and compare the quality of ultrasound images. This paper presents a simulation of a model that implements step-by-step an image reconstruction based on delay-and-sum (DAS) method from the Matlab/Simulink environment. The general objective was to validate this model to compare the quality metrics of images against the computational one. Model results were validated using the Field II as gold reference, a program for simulating ultrasound transducer fields and ultrasound imaging using linear acoustics. The model implements DAS beamforming to process 65 scanlines generated by a 128-element transducer. For quantitative analysis, the following metrics have been used: contrast resolution (CR), contrast-to-noise (CNR), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), normalized root mean square error (NRMSE), normalized residual sum of squares (NRSS), and full width at half maximum (FWHM). According to those metrics, the proposed model performance is strongly correlated comparatively to the reference, showing errors of 1.49%, 1.29%, 0.22%, 2.45%, 7.38% for the CR, CNR, SNR, FWHM, and NRMSE, respectively. As indicated by metrics the Matlab/Simulink model images are similar to the computational ones.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
In ultrasound research, an important subject is the quality of image assessment. Despite a myriad of technological solutions, qualitative and quantitative metrics are critical indicators to measure and compare the quality of ultrasound images. This paper presents a simulation of a model that implements step-by-step an image reconstruction based on delay-and-sum (DAS) method from the Matlab/Simulink environment. The general objective was to validate this model to compare the quality metrics of images against the computational one. Model results were validated using the Field II as gold reference, a program for simulating ultrasound transducer fields and ultrasound imaging using linear acoustics. The model implements DAS beamforming to process 65 scanlines generated by a 128-element transducer. For quantitative analysis, the following metrics have been used: contrast resolution (CR), contrast-to-noise (CNR), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), normalized root mean square error (NRMSE), normalized residual sum of squares (NRSS), and full width at half maximum (FWHM). According to those metrics, the proposed model performance is strongly correlated comparatively to the reference, showing errors of 1.49%, 1.29%, 0.22%, 2.45%, 7.38% for the CR, CNR, SNR, FWHM, and NRMSE, respectively. As indicated by metrics the Matlab/Simulink model images are similar to the computational ones.
Bairro, Rojelio; Fernandes, Fábio Henrique Almeida; Contieri, Ednilson Souza; Gonçalves, Cristhiane; Kanashiro, Gilson Maekawa; Assef, Amauri Amorin; Maia, Joaquim Miguel; Costa, Eduardo Tavares
A MATLAB-Based Graphical User Interface to Assess Conventional and Chirp-Coded Ultrasonic Excitation Proceedings Article
Em: Marques, Jefferson Luiz Brum; Rodrigues, Cesar Ramos; Suzuki, Daniela Ota Hisayasu; Neto, José Marino; Ojeda, Renato García (Ed.): IX Latin American Congress on Biomedical Engineering and XXVIII Brazilian Congress on Biomedical Engineering, pp. 218–227, Springer Nature Switzerland, Cham, 2024, ISBN: 978-3-031-49404-8.
@inproceedings{10.1007/978-3-031-49404-8_22,
title = {A MATLAB-Based Graphical User Interface to Assess Conventional and Chirp-Coded Ultrasonic Excitation},
author = {Rojelio Bairro and Fábio Henrique Almeida Fernandes and Ednilson Souza Contieri and Cristhiane Gonçalves and Gilson Maekawa Kanashiro and Amauri Amorin Assef and Joaquim Miguel Maia and Eduardo Tavares Costa},
editor = {Jefferson Luiz Brum Marques and Cesar Ramos Rodrigues and Daniela Ota Hisayasu Suzuki and José Marino Neto and Renato García Ojeda},
url = {https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-49404-8_22},
isbn = {978-3-031-49404-8},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-01-01},
urldate = {2024-01-01},
booktitle = {IX Latin American Congress on Biomedical Engineering and XXVIII Brazilian Congress on Biomedical Engineering},
pages = {218–227},
publisher = {Springer Nature Switzerland},
address = {Cham},
abstract = {Innovative coded excitation techniques have been proposed to increase the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of ultrasound signals, which are significantly attenuated by scattering and absorption. Among the methods applied, the linear-frequency modulation signal, commonly defined as chirp signal, has been studied to provide images with greater depth, even in high attenuation media, maintaining the spatial resolution found in conventional excitation systems. This article presents a graphical user interface (GUI) based on Matlab to simulate short-duration conventional excitation (CE) pulses and long-duration chirp-coded excitation (CCE) pulses. The GUI allows the selection of apodization window, center frequency, and pulse duration parameters. In addition, it is possible to configure the bandwidth of the chirp signal. Pulse evaluations were performed with a central frequency of 1.6 MHz, using three cycles for CE and a duration of 5, 10, and 20 $$backslashupmu $$μs for CCE with a bandwidth of ±200 kHz, ±400 kHz, and ±1 MHz in a phantom simulated with ten targets. The echo signals for the CCE were processed using a matched filter to evaluate the spatial resolution and attenuation. Simulation results demonstrate the flexibility and performance of the proposed GUI for ultrasound excitation studies. The evaluation of CCE with a frequency of 1.6 MHz ± 1 MHz and matched filter improved spatial resolution by 86%. In contrast, a maximum increase in attenuation of the processed signal of 33% was observed.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Innovative coded excitation techniques have been proposed to increase the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of ultrasound signals, which are significantly attenuated by scattering and absorption. Among the methods applied, the linear-frequency modulation signal, commonly defined as chirp signal, has been studied to provide images with greater depth, even in high attenuation media, maintaining the spatial resolution found in conventional excitation systems. This article presents a graphical user interface (GUI) based on Matlab to simulate short-duration conventional excitation (CE) pulses and long-duration chirp-coded excitation (CCE) pulses. The GUI allows the selection of apodization window, center frequency, and pulse duration parameters. In addition, it is possible to configure the bandwidth of the chirp signal. Pulse evaluations were performed with a central frequency of 1.6 MHz, using three cycles for CE and a duration of 5, 10, and 20 $$backslashupmu $$μs for CCE with a bandwidth of ±200 kHz, ±400 kHz, and ±1 MHz in a phantom simulated with ten targets. The echo signals for the CCE were processed using a matched filter to evaluate the spatial resolution and attenuation. Simulation results demonstrate the flexibility and performance of the proposed GUI for ultrasound excitation studies. The evaluation of CCE with a frequency of 1.6 MHz ± 1 MHz and matched filter improved spatial resolution by 86%. In contrast, a maximum increase in attenuation of the processed signal of 33% was observed.