A Study on a Parameter Estimator for the Homodyned K Distribution Based on Table Search for Ultrasound Tissue Characterization.

OBJECTIVE: The homodyned K (HK) distribution is considered to be the most suitable distribution in the context of tissue characterization; therefore, the search for a rapid and reliable parameter estimator for HK distribution is important. METHODS: We propose a novel parameter estimator based on a table search (TS) for HK parameter estimates. The TS estimator can inherit the strength of conventional estimators by integrating various features and taking advantage of the TS method in a rapid and easy operation. Performance of the proposed TS estimator was evaluated and compared with that of XU (the estimation method based on X and U statistics) and artificial neural network (ANN) estimators. DISCUSSION: The simulation results revealed that the TS estimator is superior to the XU and ANN estimators in terms of normalized standard deviations and relative root mean squared errors of parameter estimation, and is faster. Clinical experiments found that the area under the receiver operating curve for breast lesion classification using the parameters estimated by the TS estimator could reach 0.871. CONCLUSION: The proposed TS estimator is more accurate, reliable and faster than the state-of-the-art XU and ANN estimators and has great potential for ultrasound tissue characterization based on the HK distribution.

[Design and implementation for portable ultrasound-aided breast cancer screening system].

Early screening is an important means to reduce breast cancer mortality. In order to solve the problem of low breast cancer screening rates caused by limited medical resources in remote and impoverished areas, this paper designs a breast cancer screening system aided with portable ultrasound Clarius. The system automatically segments the tumor area of the B-ultrasound image on the mobile terminal and uses the ultrasound radio frequency data on the cloud server to automatically classify the benign and malignant tumors. Experimental results in this study show that the accuracy of breast tumor segmentation reaches 98%, and the accuracy of benign and malignant classification reaches 82%, and the system is accurate and reliable. The system is easy to set up and operate, which is convenient for patients in remote and poor areas to carry out early breast cancer screening. It is beneficial to objectively diagnose disease, and it is the first time for the domestic breast cancer auxiliary screening system on the mobile terminal.

[Ultrasound Simulation of Carotid Artery Plaque and System Implementation].

A method of ultrasonic simulation based on the FIELD II software platform for carotid artery plaque was proposed according to the analysis for geometrical shape,tissue characteristics and acoustic properties of carotid artery plaques in clinic,and then a simulation system was developed by using the MATLAB graphical user interface(GUI).In the simulation and development,a three-dimensional geometric model of blood vessel with plaques was set up by using the metaball implicit surface technique,and a tissue model was established based on the scatterers with spatial position of gamma random distribution.Comparison of the statistical and geometrical characteristics from simulated ultrasound B-mode images with those based on clinical ones and preset values,the results fully demonstrated the effectiveness of the simulation methods and system.