Synthetic aperture ultrasound imaging using a convex array

Describes a novel Fourier-domain synthetic aperture ultrasound imaging method which employs a curved array with an aperture size comparable to that of a phased array. The main advantage of the new approach is that two-way synthetic focusing is achieved without a complex hardware. In addition, the effective imaging aperture size is doubled and a uniform lateral resolution is obtained. In simulation, the length of the convex aperture was 28 mm and its opening angle was 60°. Results show that a uniform -6 dB lateral resolution of 1° was achieved in a depth range of 20 mm-150 mm. The -50 dB lateral resolution was about 4.5° and the side lobe level of the point-spread function was below -60 dB. The proposed approach is feasible for a low-cost, high-quality, real-time imaging system with potential applications in cardiology and in intravascular imaging