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. 2019 Jan;66(1):45-56.
doi: 10.1109/TUFFC.2018.2881409. Epub 2018 Nov 14.

An FPGA-Based Backend System for Intravascular Photoacoustic and Ultrasound Imaging

An FPGA-Based Backend System for Intravascular Photoacoustic and Ultrasound Imaging

Xun Wu et al. IEEE Trans Ultrason Ferroelectr Freq Control. 2019 Jan.

Abstract

The integration of intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and intravascular photoacoustic (IVPA) imaging produces an imaging modality with high sensitivity and specificity which is particularly needed in interventional cardiology. Conventional side-looking IVUS imaging with a single-element ultrasound (US) transducer lacks forward-viewing capability, which limits the application of this imaging mode in intravascular intervention guidance, Doppler-based flow measurement, and visualization of nearly, or totally blocked arteries. For both side-looking and forward-looking imaging, the necessity to mechanically scan the US transducer limits the imaging frame rate, and therefore, array-based solutions are desired. In this paper, we present a low-cost, compact, high-speed, and programmable imaging system based on a field-programmable gate array suitable for dual-mode forward-looking IVUS/IVPA imaging. The system has 16 US transmit and receive channels and functions in multiple modes including interleaved photoacoustic (PA) and US imaging, hardware-based high-frame-rate US imaging, software-driven US imaging, and velocity measurement. The system is implemented in the register-transfer level, and the central system controller is implemented as a finite-state machine. The system was tested with a capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer array. A 170-frames-per-second (FPS) US imaging frame rate is achieved in the hardware-based high-frame-rate US imaging mode while the interleaved PA and US imaging mode operates at a 60-FPS US and a laser-limited 20-FPS PA imaging frame rate. The performance of the system benefits from the flexibility and efficiency provided by the low-level implementation. The resulting system provides a convenient backend platform for research and clinical IVPA and IVUS imaging.

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Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
A compact photoacoustic and ultrasound imaging system.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
The system overview.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.
The block diagram of the frontend circuit board.
Fig. 4.
Fig. 4.
The block diagram of the system.
Fig. 5.
Fig. 5.
(a) Format of valid instructions (instr.) in hexadecimal format. (b) Flowchart of the instruction detector and system controller.
Fig. 6.
Fig. 6.
(a) Sample selection. (b) Sample summation.
Fig. 7.
Fig. 7.
Flowchart of the system in hardware-based high-frame-rate ultrasound imaging mode.
Fig. 8.
Fig. 8.
Flowchart of the system in software-driven ultrasound imaging mode.
Fig. 9.
Fig. 9.
Flowchart of the system in interleaved photoacoustic and ultrasound imaging mode.
Fig. 10.
Fig. 10.
Flowchart of the system in velocity measurement mode.
Fig. 11.
Fig. 11.
(a) Wire-bonded CMUT in the oil tank. (b) Imaging phantom. (c) Experimental setup for imaging.
Fig. 12.
Fig. 12.
Locations of the fishing wires in the imaging phantom.
Fig. 13.
Fig. 13.
(a) Ultrasound image in hardware-based high-frame-rate ultrasound imaging mode. (b) Ultrasound image in software-driven ultrasound imaging mode. (c) Photoacoustic image in interleaved photoacoustic and ultrasound imaging mode. (d) Overlapped photoacoustic and ultrasound image in interleaved photoacoustic and ultrasound imaging mode. Dynamic range: photoacoustic 25 dB, ultrasound 40 dB.
Fig. 14.
Fig. 14.
(a) Ultrasound A-scan of beam 13 from element 8 acquired in software-driven ultrasound imaging mode. (b) Photoacoustic A-scan from element 8 acquired in interleaved photoacoustic and ultrasound imaging mode.
Fig. 15.
Fig. 15.
(a) Velocity distribution in the user-specified area overlapped with ultrasound image in velocity measurement mode at 1 second. (b) Velocity over time from 0 to 1 second.

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