Implementation of arbitrary contrast imaging strategies on an US Open Platform

Comparing the performance of different contrast imaging techniques can be difficult and somewhat confusing, since the tests were typically made using different in vitro setups, contrast agents, ultrasound transducers and systems. In this study, we report on the implementation of arbitrary contrast-pulse-sequences (CPS) in the ULA-OP open ultrasound system. Combined with a home-made phantom, a convenient and consistent evaluation of the main parameters characterizing various techniques is obtained. Several experiments were performed exciting BR14 microbubbles at a dilution between 1/200 and 1/800, with an average MI = 0.1, through 10 different excitation schemes including power modulation, chirp reversal and their combination. Chirp Amplitude Modulation (CAM) and Chirp Reversal Amplitude Modulation (CRAM) showed the best performance with an average CTR of 34 dB.