HIFU waveform measurement at clinical amplitude levels: Primary hydrophone calibration, waveform deconvolution and uncertainty estimation

High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) fields can be characterized by specific hydrophones that are able to withstand the large acoustical pressures used in medical applications. Such hydrophones may show a non-flat frequency response due to their being strengthened by protection layers against cavitation damage. Therefore, hydrophone calibration data should be used in deconvolution in order to reconstruct the ultrasonic pressure waveforms. A regularization filter should be applied during deconvolution to suppress high-frequency noise. This paper describes the metrological chain from primary hydrophone calibration to hydrophone measurement and waveform deconvolution, including uncertainty estimation for deconvolved hydrophone signal data (for example, HIFU field measurements).