Fröhlich Eckhart, Satrapa Jaroslav, Schmidt Tatjana, Malek Nisar, Joseph Gilot Bryant, Debove Ines, Pauluschke-Fröhlich Jan, RETRACTED: 3D-Method for Determining the Imaging Quality of Ultrasound Probes, Journal of Medical Informatics and Decision Making, Volume 1, Issue 2, 2015, Pages 1-8, ISSN 2641-5526, https://doi.org/10.14302/issn.2641-5526.jmid-18-2328.
(https://oap-researcharticles.org/jmid/article/962)
Abstract: Background: Monitoring ultrasonic probe quality remains an important problem which impacts diagnostic accuracy. Here we present a quantitative method to assess probe quality primarily based on measuring probe maximum contrast (dB) and dynamic range. Method: Contrast relevant parameters of 26 transducer models manufactured by five manufacturers were measured with a novel Random Void Phantom (RVP) approach. 3D-data were acquired and analysed to determine image quality. Results: Acoustic contrast values ranging from 15dB to 36dB were observed. Conclusion: By examining artefact producing side lobes, the novel RVP approach presented here permits a quantitative assessment of ultrasound probe quality.
Keywords: Ultrasonic image quality; random void phantom; side lobes; acoustic contrast