Volumetric Color Flow Map using Row Column Transducer array - Simulation study

Volumetric Color Flow Mapping (CFM) is typically performed using matrix probes with up to 9,000 elements. The many elements necessitate the use of highly specialized and expensive probes with dedicated electronics. This paper demonstrates how Row Column Addressed (RCA) transducer arrays can provide volumetric CFM using only 1/72 times the number of elements used for conventional matrix probes without ECG gating. A simulation study is carried out and a constant parabolic vessel flow beneath a 62 + 62 flat surfaced RCAtransducer with a center frequency of 3.5 MHz is simulated. A Synthetic Aperture Focusing Technique (SAFT) is used to construct volumetric images covering a region of 13.2×13.2×48.4 mm3 from eight focused emissions. The image lines in the volume are beamformed in parallel, and the axial velocity estimation is performed using eight consecutive realisations of the volumetric image. A volume rate of ∼ 234 Hz is reached, with a pulse repetition frequency (fprf ) of 15 kHz. From eight center line velocity profiles, the relative mean bias and standard deviation were calculated to be −0.60% and 2.93%, respectively.