Improving microvascular sensitivity of color Doppler using phase mask based flow recycling algorithm


Blood flow sensitivity is a crucial metric for appraising the effectiveness of color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI). Color Doppler velocity maps based on classic autocorrelation techniques are widely used in clinical practice. However, these techniques often produce twinkling artifacts in noisy regions due to the inherent randomness of noise phases. To mitigate artifacts and improve image quality, Power Mask (PoM) technology becomes imperative. Nevertheless, PoM technology unintentionally filters out small flow signals that have similar power and frequency characteristics to noise signals, thereby reducing the imaging system's sensitivity to flow. 
Approach:
To address this issue, a novel Flow Recycling Algorithm (FRA) based on phase anomaly is introduced in this study. This algorithm, excavating small flow signals from noise, aims to enhance the small flow signals with low-velocity by the phase characteristics of the color Doppler flow information. 
Main results: 
Experiments in multi-organ imaging have shown that the FRA-CDFI approach is more effective in suppressing twinkling artifacts in noisy regions, preserving intricate small flow signals, and markedly improving small blood flow sensitivity. This novel approach provides adequate technical support for clinical ultrasound imaging of organs with dense small blood vessels, such as the brain, kidneys, liver, and more. 
Significance: 
As a novel post-processing method, FRA-CDFI holds significant potential for future deployment in clinical high-frame-rate ultrasound imaging devices.