Adaptive speckle reduction process enhancing structure and texture of B-mode image

A new adaptive process of B-mode imaging is proposed for easier interpretation of the macroscopic structures of tissues while maintaining the spatial resolution and texture of the original image. The process consists of three steps: extraction of structural components from the image, extraction of texture-like components, and combination of these two components. The structural and texture-like components were extracted using a gray-level concentrative filter and high-pass filter, respectively. Algorithms to minimize the calculation steps of the concentrative were conceived for maintaining the frame rate, and its gray-level bandwidth was adjusted to the statistical speckle parameter of the original image. The clinical B-mode images with and without the proposed process clearly showed its efficacy.