Device, System, and Method For Hemispheric Breast Imaging

A system for volumetric ultrasound imaging, comprising:

• an array of planar ultrasound transducer subarrays, substantially configured in the shape of a faceted hemisphere to form a volumetric imaging region within a cavity of the faceted hemisphere, each ultrasound transducer subarray comprising a plurality of transducer elements configured to transmit ultrasound signals to and receive ultrasound signals from a scattering object within the faceted hemisphere;
• a plurality of data-acquisition assemblies, connected to the ultrasound transducer subarrays, configured to receive the ultrasound signals from the ultrasound transducer subarrays;
• a network of processors, connected to the data-acquisition assemblies, configured to perform parallel construction of a volumetric image of the scattering object within the imaging region based on the ultrasound signals received from the data-acquisition assemblies, the network of processors including a head node that coordinates firing sequences and sampling intervals of the transducer elements;
• and
• a parallel multichannel cabling structure that enables independent transfer of the ultrasound signals from each data-acquisition assembly to each processor in parallel.

A method for reconstructing a volumetric ultrasound image, the method comprising:

• providing a stationary array of transducer subarrays that are substantially configured in the shape of a faceted hemisphere to form a volumetric imaging region within a cavity of a faceted hemisphere;
• transmitting ultrasound signals to and receiving ultrasound signals from a scattering object within the imaging region by transducer elements of the transducer subarrays;
• coordinating firing sequences and sampling intervals of the transducer elements, by a head node of a network of processors;
• receiving the ultrasound signals from the transducer subarrays, in parallel, by a plurality of data-acquisition assemblies connected in parallel to the transducer subarrays;
• transmitting the ultrasound signals, in parallel, by the plurality of data-acquisition assemblies to the network of processors;
• and
• performing parallel construction of a volumetric image of the scattering object within the imaging region, by the network of processors, based on the ultrasound signals received from the data-acquisition assemblies.

A method, comprising:

• transmitting ultrasound signals to and receiving ultrasound signals from a scattering object in a hemispheric imaging region;
• forming an initial estimate of a medium variation for each of a plurality of subvolumes in the scattering object to form an estimated object;
• calculating residual scattering by using a difference between a scattering response calculated for the estimated object and measured ultrasound signals received from the scattering object;
• forming an initial three-dimensional image of the scattering object;
• and
• extrapolating a difference between the scattering response calculated for the estimated object and the measured ultrasound signals received from the scattering object to estimate scattering measurements of a virtual hemisphere opposite the hemispheric imaging region.