Ultrasound differential phase contrast using backscattering and the memory effect

Abstract

We describe a simple and fast technique to perform ultrasound differential phase contrast (DPC) imaging in arbitrarily thick scattering media. Though configured in a reflection geometry, DPC is based on transmission imaging and is a direct analogue of optical differential interference contrast (DIC). DPC exploits the memory effect and works in combination with standard pulse-echo imaging, with no additional hardware or data requirements, enabling complementary phase contrast (in the transverse direction) without any need for intensive numerical computation. We experimentally demonstrate the principle of DPC using tissue phantoms with calibrated speed-of-sound inclusions.