Enhancement of Ultrasound Images Quality Using a New Matching Material

Abstract

This paper proposes a specific material (linseed oil) to be used as a matching layer between the ultrasound transducer and the soft tissue of the breast instead of the used traditional gel. The acoustic impedance of this gel is about 1.48 MRayl while that of the breast soft tissue is about 1.633 MRayl. This difference in the impedance between gel and breast causes a reflection of the ultrasound signal which degrades the quality of the resultant image. The acoustic impedance of the proposed oil is about 1.631 MRayl which is more suitable than the traditional gel. The proposed material is tested on 41 breast cases at the National Cancer Institute, Cairo University. A significant enhancement in image quality is achieved using this proposed material.