A 3D motion tracking algorithm using ultrasound B-mode images: A feasibility study

Motion estimation of biological tissues, including displacement and strain estimations, is important as it provides biomarkers of tissue kinetic abnormalities. Since tissue motions are in 3D, 3D motion estimation can avoid out-of-plane artifacts which is usually encountered using 2D motion tracking methods. In this study, we propose a 3D motion tracking method which is able to simultaneously estimate displacement and strain fields using B-mode data. The proposed method is firstly validated using a cardiac simulation dataset. It is shown that it is able to identify known cardiac ischemic lesions where present less strain magnitudes. For the in vivo test, 4D ultrasound B-mode scan of an abdominal aorta was performed on a healthy volunteer using a clinical system. The approach allows to represent the pulsation of the aorta wall, and to quantify discrete strain fields.