An adaptive acoustic output selection method feasible for implementation on existing clinical systems

Previous work has demonstrated acoustic output can be adaptively adjusted to follow the ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable) principle. Here, a refined ALARA approach is introduced based on capturing a system's underlying noise power and using it, along with the signal power in image frames, to calculate temporal signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Acoustic output can then be modified depending on the relationship between the current and target SNR level. This approach uses accessible summed data, minimal computational effort, and requires no additional acoustic transmissions beyond a standard imaging sequence, making implementation on clinical systems feasible. In this work, the noise mapping temporal SNR calculation procedure is validated and then used to demonstrate the improved ALARA system.