Deconvolution of vibroacoustic images using a simulation model based on a three dimensional point spread function

Vibro-acoustography (VA) is a medical imaging method based on the difference-frequency generation produced by the mixture of two focused ultrasound beams. VA has been applied to different problems in medical imaging such as imaging bones, microcalcifications in the breast, mass lesions, and calcified arteries. The obtained images may have a resolution of 0.7-0.8 mm. Current VA systems based on confocal or linear array transducers generate C-scan images at the beam focal plane. Images on the axial plane are also possible, however the system resolution along depth worsens when compared to the lateral one. Typical axial resolution is about 1.0 cm. Furthermore, the elevation resolution of linear array systems is larger than that in lateral direction. This asymmetry degrades C-scan images obtained using linear arrays. The purpose of this article is to study VA image restoration based on a 3D point spread function (PSF) using classical deconvolution algorithms: Wiener, constrained least-squares (CLSs), and geometric mean filters. To assess the filters' performance on the restored images, we use an image quality index that accounts for correlation loss, luminance and contrast distortion. Results for simulated VA images show that the quality index achieved with the Wiener filter is 0.9 (when the index is 1.0 this indicates perfect restoration). This filter yielded the best result in comparison with the other ones. Moreover, the deconvolution algorithms were applied to an experimental VA image of a phantom composed of three stretched 0.5 mm wires. Experiments were performed using transducer driven at two frequencies, 3075 kHz and 3125 kHz, which resulted in the difference-frequency of 50 kHz. Restorations with the theoretical line spread function (LSF) did not recover sufficient information to identify the wires in the images. However, using an estimated LSF the obtained results displayed enough information to spot the wires in the images. It is demonstrated that the phase of the theoretical and the experimental PSFs are dissimilar. This fact prevents VA image restoration with the current theoretical PSF. This study is a preliminary step towards understanding the restoration of VA images through the application of deconvolution filters. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.