Accurate Needle Localization Using Two-Dimensional Power Doppler and B-Mode Ultrasound Image Analyses: A Feasibility Study.

Mohammad I Daoud,Rami Alazrai,Adnan R Zayadeen,Ahmad Shtaiyat

doi:10.3390/s18103475

Mohammad I Daoud, Rami Alazrai + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/s18103475

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Abstract

Curvilinear ultrasound transducers are commonly used in various needle insertion interventions, but localizing the needle in curvilinear ultrasound images is usually challenging. In this paper, a new method is proposed to localize the needle in curvilinear ultrasound images by exciting the needle using a piezoelectric buzzer and imaging the excited needle using a curvilinear ultrasound transducer to acquire a power Doppler image and a B-mode image. The needle-induced Doppler responses that appear in the power Doppler image are analyzed to estimate the needle axis initially and identify the candidate regions that are expected to include the needle. The candidate needle regions in the B-mode image are analyzed to improve the localization of the needle axis. The needle tip is determined by analyzing the intensity variations of the power Doppler and B-mode images around the needle axis. The proposed method is employed to localize different needles that are inserted in three ex vivo animal tissue types at various insertion angles, and the results demonstrate the capability of the method to achieve automatic, reliable and accurate needle localization. Furthermore, the proposed method outperformed two existing needle localization methods.

Highlights

Ultrasound is among the most widely-used medical imaging modalities for guiding minimally-invasive needle insertion interventions [1,2,3]
This study aims to introduce a new method to enable automatic, reliable and accurate needle localization in 2D curvilinear ultrasound images by combining power Doppler and brightness mode (B-mode) ultrasound image analyses
The position of the needle tip is determined by analyzing the intensity variations of the power Doppler image and the B-mode image around the localized needle axis

Summary

Introduction

Ultrasound is among the most widely-used medical imaging modalities for guiding minimally-invasive needle insertion interventions [1,2,3]. The use of ultrasound imaging to guide needle insertion interventions is attributed to several advantages of ultrasound, including the low cost, safety, real-time imaging capability and portability [5]. Visualizing the needle in conventional brightness mode (B-mode) ultrasound images might be challenging due to various factors. Examples of these factors include the ultrasound speckle interference pattern that affects the quality of ultrasound images and the presence of strong linear anatomical structures in the ultrasound image, such as bone, that have characteristics similar to the needle [6,7]. Steep needle insertion angles, which are common in many medical procedures, might reduce the visibility of the needle in B-mode ultrasound images due to needle reflection of the ultrasound beam away from the transducer [7,8]

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