Block matching and B-spline methods in deformation estimation in synthetic left ventricular model with nontransmural infarction

The cardiac elastography aims at identification of non-transmural infarctions. Two displacement estimation methods in such an application using synthetic ultrasonic data are studied. Reference was obtained from Finite Element Modelling. Models had the form of half of an ellipsoid with 15 mm wall thickness. The homogenous model, models with transmural and nontransmural inclusion were designed. Deformation of the models was simulated using Abaqus. Ultrasonic data of LAX and SAX views were generated using Field II. Radial (dR) and lateral (dL) displacements were estimated using a 2D correlation search with 2D stretching (2DCS) and B-spline (BS) method. Strains were estimated using least squares estimator. Mean Absolute Error (MAE) of the dR in the LAX view was approx. 6[μm] for 2DCS and 8[μm] for BS, that of the dL 30 and 24[μm] respectively. MAE of the second component of the principal strain (epsilon) 2 was 0.10 and 0.14[%], respectively. Corresponding values for SAX view were 7, 10, 42, 52[μm] and 0.47 and 1.08[%]. In the LAX view both estimation methods result in the (epsilon) 2 behavior coherent with the presence of the inclusion, with the 2DCS results closer to the reference. In the SAX view the BS approach results in high errors of the estimate. The (epsilon) 2 profiles, LAX view, show minor discrepancies with respect to the reference and show the effect of the inclusion. The (epsilon) 2 profiles, SAX view, obtained from displacements estimated using the BS method strongly deviate from the reference. Block matching performs better in application to the local strain estimation.