Journal Article

Comparative Approach to Performance Estimation of Pulsed Wave Doppler Equipment Based on Kiviat Diagram

Fiori, Giorgia, Sciuto, Salvatore Andrea, Schmid, Maurizio, Conforto, Silvia, Scorza, Andrea

2024

Overview

Quality assessment of ultrasound medical systems is a demanding task due to the high number of parameters to quantify their performance: in the present study, a Kiviat diagram-based integrated approach was proposed to effectively combine the contribution of some experimental parameters and quantify the overall performance of pulsed wave Doppler (PWD) systems for clinical applications. Four test parameters were defined and assessed through custom-written measurement methods based on image analysis, implemented in the MATLAB environment, and applied to spectral images of a flow phantom, i.e., average maximum velocity sensitivity (AMVS), velocity measurements accuracy (VeMeA), lowest detectable signal (LDS), and the velocity profile discrepancy index (VPDI). The parameters above were scaled in a standard range to represent the four vertices of a Kiviat plot, whose area was considered the overall quality index of the ultrasound system in PWD mode. Five brand-new ultrasound diagnostic systems, equipped with linear array probes, were tested in two different working conditions using a commercial flow phantom as a reference. The promising results confirm the robustness of AMVS, VeMeA, and LDS parameters while suggesting further investigations on the VPDI.

• Publisher: MDPI AG,MDPI
• Subject: Design and construction / Doppler effect / flow phantom / Flow velocity / Integrated approach / Kiviat diagram / measurement methods / Medical equipment / Performance evaluation / Physiological apparatus / pulsed wave Doppler / quality assessment / Software / Ultrasonic imaging / ultrasound diagnostic systems / Ultrasound imaging / Working conditions