This paper introduces a new approach to non-local means image denoising. Instead of using all pixels located in the search window for estimating the value of a pixel, we identify the highly corrupted pixels and assign less weight to these pixels. This method is called robust non-local means. Numerical and subjective evaluations using ultrasound images show good performances of the proposed deno...

We report on a two-phase test performed to assess the ability of the ultrasound-based B-mode acquisition and targeting (BAT) trans-abdominal system to identify non-dedicated fiducial markers implanted into the prostate gland for subsequent image-guided radiotherapy.Although further investigation is warranted in order to identify the optimal echogenic marker and to define its potential use for i...

Acousto-optic imaging promises to provide in vivo images of optical contrast but with the superior spatial resolution of ultrasound imaging. Here we present novel quadrature detection of ultrasound-modulated photons with a gainmodulated, image-intensified, CCD camera. The additional detection of ultrasound-modulated fluorescence photons demonstrates potential for in vivo acousto-optic molecular...

Acousto-optic imaging promises to provide in vivo images of optical contrast but with the superior spatial reso-lution of ultrasound imaging. Here we present novel quadrature detection of ultrasound-modulated photons with a gain-modulated, image-intensified, CCD camera. The additional detection of ultrasound-modulated fluorescence photons dem-onstrates potential for in vivo acousto-...

Press. © Cambridge University Press 2010. principles of its formation. In essence, these principles are still used in modern B-mode systems, although they may be used within more complex arrangements designed to enhance performance. A B-mode image is a cross-sectional image representing tissues and organ boundaries within the body (Figure 1.1). It is constructed from echoes, which are generated...

Co-registered ultrasound (US) and frequency-domain photoacoustic radar (FD-PAR) imaging is reported for the first time in this paper. The merits of ultrasound and cross-correlation (radar) frequency-domain photoacoustic imaging are leveraged for accurate tumor detection. Commercial US imagers possess sophisticated, optimized software for rapid image acquisition that could dramatically speed-up ...

Speckle reduction is an important pre-processing stage for ultrasound medical image processing. In this paper, an adaptive fuzzy logic approach for speckle noise reduction in ultrasound images is presented. In the proposed method, adaptiveness is incorporated at two levels. In the first level, applying fuzzy logic on the coefficients of variation computed from the noisy image, image regions are...

In contrast to X-rays, ultrasound propagates along a curved path due to spatial variations in the refraction index of the medium. Thus, for ultrasonic TOF tomography, the propagation path of the ultrasound must be known to correctly reconstruct the slice image. In this paper, we propose a new path determination algorithm, which is essentially a numerical solution of the eikonal equation viewed ...

BACKGROUND As a dual-modality contrast agent, magnetic microbubbles (MMBs) can not only improve contrast of ultrasound (US) image, but can also serve as a contrast agent of magnetic resonance image (MRI). With the help of MMBs, a new registration method between US image and MRI is presented. METHODS In this method, MMBs were used in both ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging process to en...