Improved 3-D reconstruction of vascular flow based on plane wave imaging

3-D flow images reconstructed from 2-D scanning and position sensor information can be used to portray clinical information not currently available in vascular and peripheral imaging. By using a navigation system to register the position and the orientation of 2-D ultrasound images, we can construct a 3-D model which we further use to angle-correct Doppler-based velocities and direction. In this work we investigate how the increased frame rate and ensemble size achieved using plane wave imaging can improve 3-D reconstructions of vascular flow. In vitro experiments shows that the velocity bias from the clutter filter can be reduced from 4.0 cm/s to 0.8 cm/s for low velocities by using a high ensemble size. The method also showed promising results in vivo, improving the 3-D reconstruction of carotid artery.