Free of speckle ultrasound images of small tissue structures

By using the Born approximation deconvolved inverse scattering (BADIS) method instead of the traditional pulse-echo method for analyzing ultrasound pulse reflections from plastic phantoms and soft tissue specimens, improvement in image resolution is shown to be possible provided these targets are fair approximations to layered media. These images are free of speckle and are more vivid than the usual pulse-echo images.; We would also expect to see a further improvement in resolution using the BADIS method with second harmonic imaging. Spatial resolution in medical ultrasound imaging consists of lateral and axial resolution. The lateral resolution should be improved in second harmonic imaging, since it is a function of the frequency of the ultrasound beam: the higher the frequency, the better the lateral resolution. The axial resolution is a function of the bandwidth of the pulse: the broader the bandwidth, the better the axial resolution. Second harmonic imaging should also provide clearer signals because the second harmonic profile has lower side lobes than the fundamental.; The distributions that were obtained from soft tissue using second harmonic imaging do show a significant improvement over the ones obtained at the fundamental frequency. They are more defined and have less speckle.