In-vivo convex array vector flow imaging

In-vivo VFI scans obtained from the abdomen of a human volunteer using a convex array transducers and transverse oscillation vector flow imaging (VFI) are presented. A 3 MHz BK Medical 8820e (Herlev, Denmark) 192-element convex array probe is used with the SARUS experimental ultrasound scanner. A sequence with a 129-line B-mode image is followed by a VFI sequence in 17 directions with 32 emissions in each direction. The pulse repetition frequency was set to 5 kHz, and the intensity and MI were measured with the Acoustic Intensity Measurement System AIMS III (Onda, Sunnyvale, California, USA). The derated I_spta.3 was 79.7 mW/m² and MI was 1.32, which are within FDA limits for abdominal scans. The right liver lobe of a 28-year healthy volunteer was scanned with a view of the main portal vein and vena cava inferior at a frame rate of 7.4 Hz. Thirty frames were acquired, giving 4 seconds of data. For this volunteer the duration corresponded to roughly 3 heartbeats. The velocities were found at a beam-to-flow angle of 72 ± 21°, where a conventional CFM scan would yield poor results. Three VF images from the same position in the cardiac cycle were investigated and the mean lateral velocities were -0.079, -0.081 and -0.080 m/s showing the consistence of the in-vivo results.