TY - JOUR
T1 - Automated quantitative analysis of the shift of frequency spectra generated by attenuated signals from contrast microbubbles
AU - Bartleson, Virginia B.
AU - Viggen, Kjetil
AU - Asanuma, Toshihiko
AU - Kinnick, Randall R.
AU - Belohlavek, Marek
N1 - Funding Information:
Sonazoid and SonoVue contrast media were provided courtesy of Nycomed Amersham and Bracco Research S.A., respectively. The System FiVe ultrasound scanner was provided courtesy of GE Vingmed. Virginia Bartleson was supported by the Mayo Graduate School Summer Student Interim Program.
PY - 2003/3
Y1 - 2003/3
N2 - The ultrasound-induced harmonic microbubble response spectrum is known to shift to lower frequencies with increasing tissue attenuation. We hypothesized that this shift could be reproducibly detected in received broadband radiofrequency spectra. We used an automatic Gaussian curve-fitting technique to measure the mean harmonic response generated by three different contrast agents at six incremental levels of attenuation. Analytical curve fitting identified a consistent, reproducible, and statistically significant shift in mean harmonic frequency with increasing attenuation. The presented method could be a step toward attenuation estimation by contrast harmonic imaging; optimization of harmonic signal reception by ultrasound systems; and, ultimately, automatic detection of contrast agents in tissue.
AB - The ultrasound-induced harmonic microbubble response spectrum is known to shift to lower frequencies with increasing tissue attenuation. We hypothesized that this shift could be reproducibly detected in received broadband radiofrequency spectra. We used an automatic Gaussian curve-fitting technique to measure the mean harmonic response generated by three different contrast agents at six incremental levels of attenuation. Analytical curve fitting identified a consistent, reproducible, and statistically significant shift in mean harmonic frequency with increasing attenuation. The presented method could be a step toward attenuation estimation by contrast harmonic imaging; optimization of harmonic signal reception by ultrasound systems; and, ultimately, automatic detection of contrast agents in tissue.
KW - Contrast microbubbles
KW - Ultrasound contrast
KW - Ultrasound harmonic imaging
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0037332557&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1016/S0041-624X(02)00397-9
DO - 10.1016/S0041-624X(02)00397-9
M3 - Article
C2 - 12565070
AN - SCOPUS:0037332557
SN - 0041-624X
VL - 41
SP - 75
EP - 81
JO - Ultrasonics
JF - Ultrasonics
IS - 2
ER -