Full-Waveform Inversion Imaging of Cortical Bone Using Phased Array Tomography

Classic ultrasound bone imaging modalities usually demand either a prior knowledge or an advanced estimation on speed of sound (SoS), which not only renders to a burdensome imaging process but also supplies a limited resolution. To overcome these drawbacks, this article proposed a frequency-domain full-waveform inversion (FDFWI) modality using phased array tomography for high-accuracy cortical bone imaging. A transmission scenario of ultrasound wave in 2-D space was presented in the frequency domain to simulate the forward wavefield propagation. Iterations in the inversion process were performed by matching the simulation wavefield to the experimental one from low to high discrete frequency points. Moreover, the association between the maximum initial frequency and the initial SoS model was explored to prevent the occurrence of cycle-skipping phenomenon, which could lead to the outcomes being trapped in local minima. The feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed imaging scheme were testified by simulation, phantom, and ex-vivo studies, with mean relative errors of cortical part being 3.18%, 8.71%, and 9.36%, respectively. It is verified that the proposed FDFWI method is an effective way for parametric imaging of cortical bone without any prior knowledge of sound speed.