Reflector-based 3D tomographic ultrasound reconstruction: Simulation study

Ultrasound Computer Tomography (USCT) is used to map local wave propagation parameters, such as speed-of-sound (SoS), as potential imaging biomarkers. Reflector-based USCT is a technique for the implementation of USCT using commercial transducer arrays, in contrast to complex USCT hardware setups requiring suspension in a water bath. In this work, we model a prototype 2D-matrix transducer and study reflector-based 3D-USCT reconstruction feasibility and resolution via numerical simulations. Modeling the ultrasound wavefronts using rays, we employ 3D-ray tracing methods to compute acoustic travel paths on a reconstruction voxel grid, and subsequently utilize optimization techniques to solve the inverse problem of SoS reconstruction. We show the feasibility of generating 3D USCT images and study the resolution for varying tissue SoS contrast.