Real-Time Vector Velocity Assessment Through Multigate Doppler and Plane Waves

Several ultrasound (US) methods have been recently proposed to produce 2-D velocity vector fields with high temporal and spatial resolution. However, the real-time implementation in US scanners is heavily hampered by the high calculation power required. In this work, we report a real-time vector Doppler imaging method which has been integrated in an open research system. The proposed approach exploits the plane waves transmitted from two sub-arrays of a linear probe to estimate the velocity vectors in 512 sample volumes aligned along the probe axis. The method has been tested for accuracy and reproducibility through simulations and in vitro experiments. Simulations over a 0 degrees to 90 degrees angle range of a 0.5 m/s peak parabolic flow have yielded 0.75 degrees bias and 1.1 degrees standard deviation for direction measurement, and 0.6 cm/s bias with 3.1% coefficient of variation for velocity assessment. In vitro tests have supported the simulation results. Preliminary measurements on the carotid artery of a volunteer have highlighted the real-time system capability of imaging complex flow configurations in an intuitive, easy, and quick way, as shown in a sample supplementary movie. These features have allowed reproducible peak velocity measurements to be obtained, as needed for quantitative investigations on patients.