In Vivo Measurements of the Bulk Ultrasonic Attenuation Coefficient of Breast Tissue Using a Novel Phase-Insensitive Receiver

Daniel Sarno; Christian Baker; Sian Curtis; Mark Hodnett; Bajram Zeqiri

doi:10.1109/TUFFC.2022.3198815

In Vivo Measurements of the Bulk Ultrasonic Attenuation Coefficient of Breast Tissue Using a Novel Phase-Insensitive Receiver

Daniel Sarno^*, Christian Baker, Sian Curtis, Mark Hodnett, Bajram Zeqiri

^*Corresponding author for this work

Surgical & Interventional Engineering

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This study describes the first in vivo acoustic attenuation measurements of breast tissue undertaken using a novel phase-insensitive detection technique employing a differential pyroelectric sensor. The operation of the sensor is thermal in nature, with its output signal being dictated by the acoustic power integrated over its surface. The particularly novel feature of the sensor lies in its differential principle of operation, which significantly enhances its immunity to background acoustic and vibration noise. A large area variant of the sensor was used to detect ultrasonic energy generated by an array of 14 discrete 3.2-MHz plane piston transducers, transmitted through pendent breasts in water. The transduction and reception capability represent key parts of a prototype Quantitative Ultrasound Computed Tomography Test Facility developed at the National Physical Laboratory to study the efficacy of phase-insensitive ultrasound computed tomography of breast phantoms containing a range of appropriate inclusions, in particular, the measurement uncertainties associated with quantitative reconstructions of the acoustic attenuation coefficient. For this study, attenuation coefficient measurements were made using 1-D projections on 12 nominally healthy study volunteers, whose age ranged from 19 to 65 years. Averaged or bulk attenuation coefficient values were generated in the range 1.7-4.6 dBcm -1 at 3.2 MHz and have been compared with existing literature, derived from in vivo and ex vivo studies. Results are encouraging and indicate that the relatively simple technique could be applied as a robust method for assessing the properties of breast tissue, particularly the balance of fatty (adipose) and fibroglandular components.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	2943-2954
Number of pages	12
Journal	IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control
Volume	69
Issue number	10
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1109/TUFFC.2022.3198815
Publication status	Published - 1 Oct 2022

Keywords

acoustic measurements
Acoustics
attenuation
breast
breast tissue
ultrasonic imaging
ultrasonic variables measurement

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10.1109/TUFFC.2022.3198815

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title = "In Vivo Measurements of the Bulk Ultrasonic Attenuation Coefficient of Breast Tissue Using a Novel Phase-Insensitive Receiver",

abstract = "This study describes the first in vivo acoustic attenuation measurements of breast tissue undertaken using a novel phase-insensitive detection technique employing a differential pyroelectric sensor. The operation of the sensor is thermal in nature, with its output signal being dictated by the acoustic power integrated over its surface. The particularly novel feature of the sensor lies in its differential principle of operation, which significantly enhances its immunity to background acoustic and vibration noise. A large area variant of the sensor was used to detect ultrasonic energy generated by an array of 14 discrete 3.2-MHz plane piston transducers, transmitted through pendent breasts in water. The transduction and reception capability represent key parts of a prototype Quantitative Ultrasound Computed Tomography Test Facility developed at the National Physical Laboratory to study the efficacy of phase-insensitive ultrasound computed tomography of breast phantoms containing a range of appropriate inclusions, in particular, the measurement uncertainties associated with quantitative reconstructions of the acoustic attenuation coefficient. For this study, attenuation coefficient measurements were made using 1-D projections on 12 nominally healthy study volunteers, whose age ranged from 19 to 65 years. Averaged or bulk attenuation coefficient values were generated in the range 1.7-4.6 dBcm -1 at 3.2 MHz and have been compared with existing literature, derived from in vivo and ex vivo studies. Results are encouraging and indicate that the relatively simple technique could be applied as a robust method for assessing the properties of breast tissue, particularly the balance of fatty (adipose) and fibroglandular components.",

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In Vivo Measurements of the Bulk Ultrasonic Attenuation Coefficient of Breast Tissue Using a Novel Phase-Insensitive Receiver

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