Enhancement of needle visibility in ultrasound-guided percutaneous procedures.

The visibility of a needle in ultrasound (US)-guided percutaneous procedures is often limited by dispersion of the needle's reflections away from the probe. A needle enhancement algorithm is developed that maximizes the received reflections by steering the US beam precisely perpendicular to the needle. The resulting image clearly depicts the needle as a bright line. The key is to automatically detect the needle in the image and maintain the appropriate beam steering angle during the procedure. The brightened needle in the steered image is then fused with the original image to produce an improved image. Implementation of the needle-enhancement algorithm was made possible by using the programmable ultrasound platform and interface library (PUPIL). PUPIL is capable of acquiring digital images, processing the images in real-time, controlling the beam angle, and displaying the fused image. The results demonstrate significantly improved needle visibility in both breast phantoms and turkey breast samples.