3-D-Printed Phantom Fabricated by Photopolymer Jetting Technology for High-Frequency Ultrasound Imaging

Autor: Franck Levassort, Jean-Rene Jacquet, Frédéric Ossant, Jean-Marc Gregoire
Přispěvatelé: Imagerie et cerveau (iBrain - Inserm U1253 - UNIV Tours ), Université de Tours (UT)-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), GREMAN (matériaux, microélectronique, acoustique et nanotechnologies) (GREMAN - UMR 7347), Institut National des Sciences Appliquées - Centre Val de Loire (INSA CVL), Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA)-Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA)-Université de Tours (UT)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université de Tours-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA)-Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA)-Université de Tours-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
Rok vydání: 2018
Předmět:
Zdroj: IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control
IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 2018, 65 (6), pp.1048-1055. ⟨10.1109/TUFFC.2018.2823545⟩
ISSN: 1525-8955
0885-3010
Popis: In the field of high-frequency ultrasound imaging ( ${\geq} 20$ MHz), tools for characterizing the performance of imaging systems are lacking. Indeed, commercial phantoms are often inadequate for this frequency range. The development of homemade phantoms on the laboratory scale is often required but is hindered by the difficulty in making very small structures that must be distributed with high accuracy in 3-D space. We propose investigating the use of 3-D photopolymer printing to create resolution and calibration phantoms designed for high-frequency ultrasound imaging. The quality and importance of these phantoms are discussed from the point of view of ultrasound parameters and imaging. First, the compressional wave group velocity, acoustic impedance, and attenuation of six photopolymerized materials were measured using temporal and spectral methods in a substitution experimental setup. Measurements were performed on printed samples using a broadband-focused single-element transducer covering a large frequency range (15–55 MHz). Two 3-D phantoms incorporating different shapes and dimensions were designed and printed. Finally, 3-D acoustic images were obtained using either a mechanically driven single-element transducer or a high-frequency commercial imaging system. Three-dimensional printing enabled us to generate phantoms suitable for high-frequency imaging with complex geometry inclusions and with a surrounding material having acoustic properties close to those of human skin. The calculated SNR between the inclusion and surrounding media is approximately 50 dB. In conclusion, 3-D printing is a useful tool for directly, easily, and rapidly manufacturing ultrasound phantoms for ultrasound imaging system assessments and computational calibration or validation.
Databáze: OpenAIRE