Vortex-encoded waveform inversion for fast musculoskeletal tomography

Full waveform inversion (FWI) offers high-resolution ultrasound computed tomography (UCT) for musculoskeletal imaging. However, its practical application is challenged by substantial computational demands due to multiple wavefield calculations. To address this, we propose a vortex encoding approach that integrates acoustic vortices into a numerical ring array through phase encoding. Such an approach significantly reduces the computational load by decreasing the number of wavefield calculations, especially when handling a multitude of sources. This paper presents the development and validation of this vortex-encoded waveform inversion strategy, highlighting its effectiveness in accelerating musculoskeletal UCT while maintaining imaging quality.