Optimization of Pulsed Doppler Sample Volume for Emboli Detection

In order to achieve accurate detection of circulating cerebral emboli, studies of system parameters are necessary to be investigated. In this paper, we pay more attention to the effect of the pulsed Doppler sample volume on emboli detection. When a large volume is selected, it is hard to separate embolic signals from the background ones. However, a small volume may reduce the detection probability. The expectation of the emboli-blood ratio (EBR) is calculated for different positions, from which a better sample volume may be selected to achieve an ideal balance between the EBR and detection probability. Simulation results indicate that this optimization procedure is useful for later emboli detection.