Phased-array Compounding for Reflection Ultrasound Computed Tomography Systems

This work introduces a phased-array compounding technique to enhance the image quality of Reflection Ultrasound Computed Tomography (RUCT) systems. Conventional RUCT systems often suffer from low Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) and Contrast-to-Noise Ratio (CNR), particularly at off-center locations, due to the use of single-element transmission. Our method utilizes multiple transmit elements with beam steering to distribute acoustic energy more effectively across the entire field of view (FOV). Numerical studies using simulated phantoms demonstrate that the proposed technique improves SNR and CNR by approximately 11 dB and 18 dB, respectively, resulting in high-contrast images across the FOV. This approach offers a significant advancement in RUCT imaging, with potential applications in improving diagnostic accuracy.