# APS-USCT: Ultrasound Computed Tomography on Sparse Data via AI-Physic Synergy

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2407.14564 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.14564/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 3 of its 16 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 18 Jul 2024.

## Builds on (most cited first, 3 of 3)

- [Squeeze-and-Excitation Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1709.01507/) (2017)
- [Limited View and Sparse Photoacoustic Tomography for Neuroimaging with Deep Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1911.04357/) (2019)
- [Learned Full Waveform Inversion Incorporating Task Information for Ultrasound Computed Tomography](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.16290/) (2023)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Ultrasound computed tomography (USCT) is a promising technique that achieves superior medical imaging reconstruction resolution by fully leveraging waveform information, outperforming conventional ultrasound methods. Despite its advantages, high-quality USCT reconstruction relies on extensive data acquisition by a large number of transducers, leading to increased costs, computational demands, extended patient scanning times, and manufacturing complexities. To mitigate these issues, we propose a new USCT method called APS-USCT, which facilitates imaging with sparse data, substantially reducing dependence on high-cost dense data acquisition. Our APS-USCT method consists of two primary components: APS-wave and APS-FWI. The APS-wave component, an encoder-decoder system, preprocesses the waveform data, converting sparse data into dense waveforms to augment sample density prior to reconstruction. The APS-FWI component, utilizing the InversionNet, directly reconstructs the speed of sound (SOS) from the ultrasound waveform data. We further improve the model's performance by incorporating Squeeze-and-Excitation (SE) Blocks and source encoding techniques. Testing our method on a breast cancer dataset yielded promising results. It demonstrated outstanding performance with an average Structural Similarity Index (SSIM) of 0.8431. Notably, over 82% of samples achieved an SSIM above 0.8, with nearly 61% exceeding 0.85, highlighting the significant potential of our approach in improving USCT image reconstruction by efficiently utilizing sparse data.