Summary
This study introduces a novel method for detecting defects related to horizontal nonuniformities in ultrasound equipment using ultrasound images collected from clinical practice.
Over 31,000 images from three ultrasound scanners were retrospectively analyzed to identify systematic dark regions in the images’ superficial parts. An algorithm was developed for this purpose, and its performance was compared to electrical measurements of transducers known to be defective.
The results consistently detected horizontal nonuniformities in the images over time, demonstrating subjective visual agreement with the electrical measurements. This suggests the potential use of clinical images for early and automatic detection of defective transducers, complementing traditional quality control methods.
