# 3-D Super-Resolution Ultrasound (SR-US) Imaging using a 2-D Sparse Array with High Volumetric Imaging Rate

## TL;DR

This paper presents a novel 3-D super-resolution ultrasound imaging method using a specially designed 2-D sparse array and high frame rate volumetric imaging, enabling detailed visualization of small structures without mechanical scanning.

## Contribution

Introduction of a 2-D sparse array with a spiral layout for high-rate 3-D super-resolution ultrasound imaging, eliminating the need for mechanical scanning or multiple probes.

## Key findings

- Successful imaging of touching sub-wavelength tubes in 3-D
- High volumetric imaging rate achieved with synchronized systems
- Super-resolution images generated from 120 seconds of data

## Abstract

Super-resolution ultrasound imaging has been so far achieved in 3-D by mechanically scanning a volume with a linear probe, by co-aligning multiple linear probes, by using multiplexed 3-D clinical ultrasound systems, or by using 3-D ultrasound research systems. In this study, a 2-D sparse array was designed with 512 elements according to a density-tapered 2-D spiral layout and optimized to reduce the sidelobes of the transmitted beam profile. High frame rate volumetric imaging with compounded plane waves was performed using two synchronized ULA-OP 256 systems. Localization-based 3-D super-resolution images of two touching sub-wavelength tubes were generated from a 120 second acquisition.