Breast Ultrasound Computed Tomography Using Dual-Pair PMUT Linear Arrays with Multi-Parameter Acoustic Fusion

Abstract

Breast cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors worldwide, and ultrasound computed tomography (USCT) has attracted increasing attention due to its quantitative imaging capability and radiation-free characteristics. However, improving image contrast and lesion visualization remains challenging, especially for multi-parameter reconstruction using compact ultrasound transducer arrays. In this study, a breast USCT imaging method based on dual-pair piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer (PMUT) linear arrays and multi-parameter acoustic fusion is proposed. A numerical breast phantom containing adipose tissue, glandular tissue, cancer, fibroadenoma, and cyst structures was established to evaluate the proposed method. Multi-angle ultrasound transmission data were acquired using dual-pair PMUT linear arrays, and sound speed and attenuation images were reconstructed using a filtering convolution back-projection reconstruction algorithm. In addition, impedance information was introduced as an auxiliary feature to enhance structural boundaries, and a multi-parameter acoustic fusion strategy was developed to improve tissue contrast. The results demonstrated that the fused image achieved improved quantitative performance, with a structural similarity index (SSIM) of 0.82 and a correlation coefficient (Corr) of 0.83 compared with individual parameter reconstructions. The proposed method enhanced the visualization of different breast tissue structures and lesions, indicating its potential for PMUT-based quantitative breast USCT imaging.