Three-dimensional ultrasonic imaging with a fully populated 128×128 array

Survivability of combat casualties is driven by the ability of military medical personnel to rapidly assess the injury and take action. Prevention of exsanguination due to internal injury is greatly enhanced when diagnosis, triage and appropriate initial care can be delivered within the first hour. Increasing demands for improvements in casualty survivability requires the rapid diagnosis of blunt and penetrating trauma that only portable imaging modalities can provide. Ultrasound is the imaging modality with the greatest promise for portable use due to its low cost, compactness and real-time nature. Ultrasound provides definitive identification of blood pooling and internal organ integrity together with visualization of radiolucent foreign bodies. By creating a patient record that begins in the field, documenting and quantifying internal changes as the injury evolves, improved care can be realized. Lockheed Martin is developing a real-time three-dimensional ultrasound sensor system (3DUSS) to meet this emerging need based on a 128×128 array. This sensor, when coupled with appropriate PC-based processing and display electronics, forms an imager that is expected to meet the performance goals of: 15 Hz frame rate, 1 mm resolution, and greater than 30 dB of instantaneous dynamic range within a 90 dB total dynamic range