Numerical simulations of the thermoacoustic computed tomography breast imaging system
Abstract
A thermoacoustic wave is produced when an object absorbs energy and experiences a subsequent thermal expansion. We have developed a Thermoacoustic Computed Tomography (TACT) breast imaging system to exploit the thermoacoustic phenomena as a method of soft tissue imaging. By exposing the breast to short pulses of 434 MHz microwaves, ultrasonic pulses are generated and detected with a hemispherical transducer array submersed in a water bath. Filtering and back projecting the transducer signals generates a 3-D image that maps the localized microwave absorption properties of the breast. In an effort to understand the factors limiting image quality, the TACT system was numerically simulated. The simulations were used to generate the transducer signals that would be collected by the TACT system during a scan of an object. These simulated data streams were then fed into the system image reconstruction software to provide images of simulated phantoms. The effects of transducer diameter, transducer response, transducer array geometry and stimulating pulse width on the spatial and contrast resolution of the system were quantified using the simulations. The spatial resolution was highly dependent upon location in the imaging volume. This was due to the off axis response of transducers of finite aperture. Simulated data were compared with experimental data, obtained by imaging a parallel-piped resolution phantom, to verify the accuracy of the simulation code. A contrast-detail phantom was numerically simulated to determine the ability of the system to image spheres of diameters <1 cm with absorption values on the order of physiologic>saline, when located in a background of noise. The results of the contrast-detail analysis were dependent on the location of the spheres in the imaging volume and the diameter of the simulated transducers. This work sets the foundation for the initial image quality studies of the TACT system. Improvements to the current imaging system, based on the results of the study, are suggested.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Liang, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Radiology|Acoustics|Electrical engineering
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