Indicator of Small Calcification Detection in Ultrasonography using Decorrelation of Forward Scattered Waves

For the improvement of the ability in detecting small calcifications using Ultrasonography (US) we propose a novel indicator of calcifications in an ultrasound B-mode image without decrease in frame rate. Since the waveform of an ultrasound pulse changes at a calcification position, the decorrelation of adjacent scan lines occurs behind a calcification. Therefore, we employ the decorrelation of adjacent scan lines as an indicator of a calcification. The proposed indicator depicted wires 0.05 mm in diameter at 2 cm depth with a sensitivity of 86.7% and a specificity of 100%, which were hardly detected in ultrasound B-mode images. This study shows the potential of the proposed indicator to approximate the detectable calcification size using an US device to that of an X-ray imager, implying the possibility that an US device will become a convenient, safe, and principal clinical tool for the screening of breast cancer.

Authors:

• Hirofumi Taki
• Takuya Sakamoto
• Makoto Yamakawa
• Tsuyoshi Shiina
• Toru Sato

Keywords:

• Ultrasonography
• Calcification
• Decorrelation
• Forward scattered wave

References:

[1] H. ├ûzdemir, M. K. Demir, O. Temizöz, H. Genchellac, and E. Unlu,
"Phase inversion harmonic imaging improves assessment of renal calculi:
a comparison with fundamental gray-scale sonography," J. Clin.
Ultrasound., vol. 36, pp. 16-19, 2008.
[2] K. A. B. Fowler, J. A. Locken, J. H. Duchesne, and M. R. Williamson,
"US for detecting renal calculi with nonenhanced CT as a reference
standard," Radiology. vol. 222, pp. 109-113, 2002.
[3] P. M. Lamb, N. M. Perry, S. J. Vinnicombe, and C. A. Wells, "Correlation
between ultrasound characteristics, mammographic findings and
histological grade in patients with invasive ductal carcinoma of the
breast," Clin. Radiol. vol. 55, pp. 40-44, 2000.
[4] D. Jacob et al., "Analysis of the results of 137 subclinical breast lesions
excisions. Value of ultrasonography in the early diagnosis of breast
cancer," J. Gynecol. Obstet. Biol. Reprod., vol. 26, pp. 27-31, 1997.
[5] V. P. Jackson, H. E. Reynolds, and D. R. Hawes, "Sonography of the
breast. Semin. Ultrasound CT MR," vol. 17, pp. 460-475, 1996.
[6] E. Tohno, D. O. Cosgrove, and J. P. Sloane, Ultrasound diagnosis of
breast diseases, Elsevier Health Sciences, Edinburg, 1994.
[7] H. Taki, T. Sakamoto, M. Yamakawa, T. Shiina, and T. Sato, "Calculus
Detection for Medical Acoustic Imaging using Cross-correlation:
Simulation Study," J Med. Ultrasonics, vol. 37, pp. 129-135, 2010.
[8] H. Taki, T. Sakamoto, M. Yamakawa, T. Shiina, and T. Sato, "Small
calculus detection for medical acoustic imaging using cross-correlation
between echo signals," Proc. IEEE Int. Ultrason. Symp., pp. 2398-2401,
2009.
[9] H. Taki, K. Taki, T. Sakamoto, M. Yamakawa, T. Shiina, and T. Sato,
"High range resolution medical acoustic vascular imaging with frequency
domain interferometry," Proc. IEEE EMBS, accepted.