Velocity estimation error reduction in stenosis areas using a correlation correction method

The advent of ultrafast ultrasound imaging proved beneficial for capturing transient flow patterns which was never readily achievable before. Velocity estimation methods based on 2D block-matching outperform Doppler based methods by offering higher frame rate with the cost of increased uncertainty in presence of out-of-plane motion as a result of turbulent flow. Local median filtering can partially address the estimation error reduction in stenosis areas at the risk of higher inaccuracy, since neighboring values may be also outliers. In this study, a correlation correction method is proposed, where the out-of-plane motion is eliminated by means of multiplying correlation maps from a same area but in two adjacent pairs of RF images. Experimental investigations were performed on a wall-less flow phantom, and proposed method achieved an error reduction of 66% in turbulent flow regions. © 2016, IEEE. This is an author produced version of a paper published in IEEE International Ultrasonics Symposium, IUS . Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other users, including reprinting/ republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted components of this work in other works. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy.