Matrix Array Transducers in Fetal Heart Imaging

Abstract

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, ‘real-time’ means the actual time during which a process or event takes place, particularly an event or process analyzed by a computer. As opposed to ‘real time’, ‘subsequent time’ indicates a later time at which an event can be elaborated by a computer or at which a recording can be reproduced. For what specifically concerns ultrasound imaging, the expression ‘real-time’ should be reserved to describe the ability of an ultrasound system to image moving anatomical structures at the exact time when anatomical data are acquired, or in the worst case to do it with a negligible time delay between acquisition and visualization. This would imply that 2D images or 3D volumes are refreshed with a frequency equal or higher to human retinal vision persistence.