Radial beamforming enables real-time speed-of-sound ultrasound imaging
Novel technique runs at 20+ fps on standard hardware, matching Cartesian accuracy
Researchers developed a radial beamforming approach for pulse-echo speed-of-sound (SoS) imaging that uses virtual source transmits and on-the-fly beamforming on radial grids, along with alternating transmissions and fast pair-alternating beamforming for motion-robust displacement tracking. The method was tested on numerical simulations, tissue-mimicking phantoms, and in vivo breast lesion exams, and performed comparably to Cartesian grid approaches. It allowed SoS data acquisition at over 20 fps alongside conventional B-mode imaging, requiring only standard hardware—a major step toward real-time SoS imaging on conventional ultrasound systems.
- Radial beamforming with virtual source transmits enables SoS imaging on standard ultrasound hardware, replacing heavy Cartesian grids
- Fast pair-alternating beamforming achieves >20 fps frame rates for motion-robust displacement tracking
- Validated on simulations, phantoms, and in vivo breast lesion exams with accuracy matching Cartesian approaches
Why It Matters
Brings real-time tissue characterization to everyday ultrasound machines, potentially improving cancer and disease diagnosis without costly hardware upgrades.