Quantitative Imaging in Ultrasound

Abstract

The widespread use, safety, and practicality of ultrasound imaging makes it a great candidate to develop quantitative imaging methods that can be extensively used in different clinical settings. This chapter will present an introductory description of quantitative ultrasound (QUS) strategies that have long been investigated, are in the process of clinical implementation, or have been used clinically for a long time. This chapter is divided into five sections. Section 4.1 presents the motivation and the overall feature estimation strategy followed in QUS. Sections 4.2, 4.3, and 4.4 summarize the physical background and technical aspects of three QUS approaches: pulse-echo techniques to estimate scattering and attenuation properties of tissue, elasticity techniques designed to measure tissue stiffness, and flow estimation techniques focused on quantifying blood flow-related features. Finally, Section 4.5 closes the chapter with two examples of current applications in QUS: the assessment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and of cervical remodeling during pregnancy.