Accelerating adaptive ultrasound imaging algorithms by means of general-purpose computing on graphics processing units
Abstract
A rapid development in computer game technology and accompanying programming
languages have recently provided researchers with small personal supercomputers,
comprised in a single graphics processing unit (GPU). This immense rise in
computational capabilities and improved programmability are currently changing
how ultrasound imaging systems are designed. When researchers are exploring new
algorithms for ultrasound imaging, it is therefore important to keep the architecture
of parallel accelerators like the GPU in mind. If a new complex algorithm is supposed
to run in real time, it needs to fit the programmable and parallel pipeline of modern
ultrasound scanners.
The aim of this study has been to investigate the possibility of utilizing GPUs
for advanced processing in an ultrasound imaging system. Among the investigated
problems are both adaptive beamforming, adaptive visualization of ultrasound
volumes, and ultrasound simulations. The presented problems have in common that
they require parallel programming in order to reach real-time processing.
In the first part of the thesis, the Capon adaptive beamformer is investigated
and implemented on a GPU for the application of real-time sonar (Paper I) and
medical ultrasound imaging (Paper II). Real-time frame rates are achieved for both
modalities. Paper II also presents, for the first time, videos where the Capon
beamformer has been applied on loops of simulated and in vivo medical ultrasound
images. In Paper III, we show that Capon beamforming does not provide shiftinvariant
imaging in a real-time imaging setting. A method is then proposed that
improves the shift-invariant property. Shift-invariant imaging is essential if the method
is ever to be used in practice.
In paper Paper IV we propose an adaptive method for visualization of volumetric
cardiac ultrasound images. The method is capable of removing noise that by
conventional methods would have occluded cardiac tissue. This work also shows
that with modern GPUs it is possible to add advanced visualization methods to an
ultrasound imaging system and still have real-time performance.
Finally, we investigate how GPUs can be utilized to accelerate ultrasound
simulations (PaperV). The result of this work was a simulation program where
ultrasound array geometries can be interactively drawn and where the resulting
pressure field is simulated and visualized in real time.
Has parts
Paper 1: I J. I. Buskenes, J. P. ˚Asen, C.-I. C. Nilsen and A. Austeng, ”An optimized GPU implementation of the MVDR beamformer for active sonar imaging”, IEEE Transactions on Oceanic Engineering, Jul 2014. © 2014 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/JOE.2014.2320631Paper II: J. P. ˚Asen, J. I. Buskenes, C.-I. C. Nilsen, A. Austeng and S. Holm, ”Implementing Capon beamforming on a GPU for real-time cardiac ultrasound imaging”, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control, vol. 61, no. 1, pp. 76-85, Jan 2014. © 2014 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/TUFFC.2014.6689777
Paper III: J. P. ˚Asen, A. Austeng and S. Holm, ”Capon beamforming and moving objects - An analysis of lateral shift-invariance”, IEEE Transactions on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control, vol. 61, no. 7, pp. 1152-1160, Jul 2014. IV J. P. ˚Asen, E. Steen, G. Kiss, A. Thorstensen and S. I. Rabben, ”Adaptive volume rendering of cardiac 3D ultrasound images - utilizing blood pool statistics”, Proc. SPIE Medical Imaging 2012, vol. 8320, pp. 832008. V J.P. ˚Asen and S. Holm, ”Huygens on speed: Interactive simulation of ultrasound pressure fields”, Proc. IEEE Ultrasonics Symposium 2012, pp. 1643-1646. © 2014 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/TUFFC.2014.3014
Paper 4: Åsen, Jon Petter; Steen, Erik; Kiss, Gabriel; Thorstensen, Anders; Rabben, Stein Inge. Adaptive volume rendering of cardiac 3D ultrasound images - utilizing blood pool statistics. Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering 2012 ;Volum 8320. s. Copyright 2014 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers. One print or electronic copy may be made for personal use only. Systematic electronic or print reproduction and distribution, duplication of any material in this paper for a fee or for commercial purposes, or modification of the content of the paper are prohibited http://dx.doi.org/10.1117/12.911645
Paper 5: J.P. ˚Asen and S. Holm, ”Huygens on speed: Interactive simulation of ultrasound pressure fields”, Proc. IEEE Ultrasonics Symposium 2012, pp. 1643-1646. © 2014 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/ULTSYM.2012.0412