Estimation of blood velocity with high frequency ultrasound

In order to map blood velocity in small regions near the transducer, we evaluate the performance of the wideband maximum likelihood (WMLE) strategy and infinite impulse response (IIR) filters for blood velocity estimation with a transducer center frequency of 38 MHz. Using a short transmitted pulse and the narrow lateral beam width obtained using this frequency, we show that velocities smaller than 1 mm/s can be estimated reliably. In addition, using both changes in the location and magnitude of the peak of the RF correlation, vessels as small as 40 /spl mu/m can be visualized in the RF signal and distinguished from stationary tissue. The experimental system also provides the opportunity to examine changes in flow and in the vessel wall over a cardiac cycle.