Efficient numerical methods for ultrasound elastography

<p>In this thesis, two algorithms are introduced for use in ultrasound elastography. Ultrasound elastography is a technique developed in the last 20 years by which anomalous regions in soft tissue are located and diagnosed without the need for biopsy. Due to this, the relativity cheap cost of...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Squires, T, Timothy Squires
Other Authors: Chapman, J
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: 2012
Subjects:
_version_ 1797061893865603072
author Squires, T
Timothy Squires
author2 Chapman, J
author_facet Chapman, J
Squires, T
Timothy Squires
author_sort Squires, T
collection OXFORD
description <p>In this thesis, two algorithms are introduced for use in ultrasound elastography. Ultrasound elastography is a technique developed in the last 20 years by which anomalous regions in soft tissue are located and diagnosed without the need for biopsy. Due to this, the relativity cheap cost of ultrasound imaging and the high level of accuracy in the methods, ultrasound elastography methods have shown great potential for the diagnosis of cancer in soft tissues. The algorithms introduced in this thesis represent an advance in this field.</p> <p>The first algorithm is a two-step iteration procedure consisting of two minimization problems - displacement estimation and elastic parameter calculation that allow for diagnosis of any anomalous regions within soft tissue. The algorithm represents an improvement on existing methods in several ways. A weighting factor is introduced for each different point in the tissue dependent on the confidence in the accuracy of the data at that point, an exponential substitution is made for the elasticity modulus, an adjoint method is used for efficient calculation of the gradient vector and a total variation regularization technique is used. Most importantly, an adaptive mesh refinement strategy is introduced that allows highly efficient calculation of the elasticity distribution of the tissue though using a number of degrees of freedom several orders lower than methods that use a uniform mesh refinement strategy. Results are presented that show the algorithm is robust even in the presence of significant noise and that it can locate a tumour of 4mm in diameter within a 5cm square region of tissue. Also, the algorithm is extended into 3 dimensions and results are presented that show that it can calculate a 3 dimensional elasticity distribution efficiently. This extension into 3-d is a significant advance in the field.</p> <p>The second algorithm is a one-step algorithm that seeks to combine the two problems of elasticity distribution and displacement calculation into one. As in the two-step algorithm, a weighting factor, exponential substitution for the elasticity parameter, adjoint method for calculation of the gradient vector, total variation regularization and adaptive mesh refinement strategy are incorporated. Results are presented that show that this original approach can locate tumours of varying sizes and shapes in the presence of varying levels of added artificial noise and that it can determine the presence of a tumour in images taken from breast tissue <em>in vivo</em>.</p>
first_indexed 2024-03-06T20:37:41Z
format Thesis
id oxford-uuid:332c7b2b-10c3-4dff-b875-ac1ee2c5d4fb
institution University of Oxford
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-06T20:37:41Z
publishDate 2012
record_format dspace
spelling oxford-uuid:332c7b2b-10c3-4dff-b875-ac1ee2c5d4fb2022-03-26T13:18:47ZEfficient numerical methods for ultrasound elastographyThesishttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_db06uuid:332c7b2b-10c3-4dff-b875-ac1ee2c5d4fbMaterials modellingBiology and other natural sciences (mathematics)Tumour pathologyPartial differential equationsImage understandingMathematical biologyMathematical modeling (engineering)TumoursNumerical analysisMedical SciencesApplications and algorithmsEnglishOxford University Research Archive - Valet2012Squires, TTimothy SquiresChapman, JKay, D<p>In this thesis, two algorithms are introduced for use in ultrasound elastography. Ultrasound elastography is a technique developed in the last 20 years by which anomalous regions in soft tissue are located and diagnosed without the need for biopsy. Due to this, the relativity cheap cost of ultrasound imaging and the high level of accuracy in the methods, ultrasound elastography methods have shown great potential for the diagnosis of cancer in soft tissues. The algorithms introduced in this thesis represent an advance in this field.</p> <p>The first algorithm is a two-step iteration procedure consisting of two minimization problems - displacement estimation and elastic parameter calculation that allow for diagnosis of any anomalous regions within soft tissue. The algorithm represents an improvement on existing methods in several ways. A weighting factor is introduced for each different point in the tissue dependent on the confidence in the accuracy of the data at that point, an exponential substitution is made for the elasticity modulus, an adjoint method is used for efficient calculation of the gradient vector and a total variation regularization technique is used. Most importantly, an adaptive mesh refinement strategy is introduced that allows highly efficient calculation of the elasticity distribution of the tissue though using a number of degrees of freedom several orders lower than methods that use a uniform mesh refinement strategy. Results are presented that show the algorithm is robust even in the presence of significant noise and that it can locate a tumour of 4mm in diameter within a 5cm square region of tissue. Also, the algorithm is extended into 3 dimensions and results are presented that show that it can calculate a 3 dimensional elasticity distribution efficiently. This extension into 3-d is a significant advance in the field.</p> <p>The second algorithm is a one-step algorithm that seeks to combine the two problems of elasticity distribution and displacement calculation into one. As in the two-step algorithm, a weighting factor, exponential substitution for the elasticity parameter, adjoint method for calculation of the gradient vector, total variation regularization and adaptive mesh refinement strategy are incorporated. Results are presented that show that this original approach can locate tumours of varying sizes and shapes in the presence of varying levels of added artificial noise and that it can determine the presence of a tumour in images taken from breast tissue <em>in vivo</em>.</p>
spellingShingle Materials modelling
Biology and other natural sciences (mathematics)
Tumour pathology
Partial differential equations
Image understanding
Mathematical biology
Mathematical modeling (engineering)
Tumours
Numerical analysis
Medical Sciences
Applications and algorithms
Squires, T
Timothy Squires
Efficient numerical methods for ultrasound elastography
title Efficient numerical methods for ultrasound elastography
title_full Efficient numerical methods for ultrasound elastography
title_fullStr Efficient numerical methods for ultrasound elastography
title_full_unstemmed Efficient numerical methods for ultrasound elastography
title_short Efficient numerical methods for ultrasound elastography
title_sort efficient numerical methods for ultrasound elastography
topic Materials modelling
Biology and other natural sciences (mathematics)
Tumour pathology
Partial differential equations
Image understanding
Mathematical biology
Mathematical modeling (engineering)
Tumours
Numerical analysis
Medical Sciences
Applications and algorithms
work_keys_str_mv AT squirest efficientnumericalmethodsforultrasoundelastography
AT timothysquires efficientnumericalmethodsforultrasoundelastography