SUSHI: Sparsity-Based Ultrasound Super-Resolution Hemodynamic Imaging

IEEE Trans Ultrason Ferroelectr Freq Control. 2018 Dec;65(12):2365-2380. doi: 10.1109/TUFFC.2018.2873380. Epub 2018 Oct 2.

Abstract

Identifying and visualizing vasculature within organs and tumors has major implications in managing cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound scans detect slow-flowing blood, facilitating noninvasive perfusion measurements. However, their limited spatial resolution prevents the depiction of microvascular structures. Recently, super-localization ultrasonography techniques have surpassed this limit. However, they require long acquisition times of several minutes, preventing the detection of hemodynamic changes. We present a fast super-resolution method that exploits sparsity in the underlying vasculature and statistical independence within the measured signals. Similar to super-localization techniques, this approach improves the spatial resolution by up to an order of magnitude compared to standard scans. Unlike super-localization methods, it requires acquisition times of only tens of milliseconds. We demonstrate a temporal resolution of ~25 Hz, which may enable functional super-resolution imaging deep within the tissue, surpassing the temporal resolution limitations of current super-resolution methods, e.g., in neural imaging. The subsecond acquisitions make our approach robust to motion artifacts, simplifying in vivo use of super-resolution ultrasound.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Artifacts
  • Blood Flow Velocity / physiology*
  • Contrast Media / chemistry
  • Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / methods*
  • Kidney / blood supply
  • Kidney / diagnostic imaging
  • Microbubbles
  • Movement / physiology
  • Rabbits
  • Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted
  • Ultrasonography / methods*

Substances

  • Contrast Media