A new pulse-echo system for real-time 3D ultrasonic imaging-phantom tests

A high speed filter-based coded-excitation imaging system has been proposed in the authors´ previous reports. Here, practical considerations in implementing the proposed system are addressed. Images of a tissue-mimicking cyst phantom are reconstructed by using filter banks of different sizes. The filter banks are established based on simulated system models. During image reconstruction, they simultaneously give scatterer reconstruction along multiple (determined by the filter bank size) directions around each receive line. Results indicate that the authors´ filter-based reconstruction approach provides images comparable with a conventional delay-and-sum beamforming image at much higher data acquisition rates. With parallel processing capability, the proposed approach may lead to a better cost-effective real-time 3D pulse-echo imaging system