Acquiring and visualizing 3D/4D ultrasound recordings of tongue motion

Publication date: November 2018Source: Journal of Phonetics, Volume 71Author(s): Steven M. Lulich, Kelly H. Berkson, Kenneth de JongAbstractUltrasound is increasingly common in speech and phonetics research as technology continues to improve. The first digital 3D/4D ultrasound system was utilized for speech research nearly a decade ago, but data access, processing, and visualization were limited to (non-speech) clinical imaging applications. Access to the raw (pulse-echo or scan-converted) image data is a critical step toward making 3D/4D ultrasound an effective tool for speech research. In addition, there is a need for technical characterization of 3D/4D ultrasound systems together with a presentation of their strengths and limitations for research. This paper gives a general technical description of ultrasound systems, beginning with conventional 2D image acquisition and working up toward 3D/4D systems. Emphasis is given to one particular system – the Philips EPIQ 7G system with xMatrix X6-1 digital 3D/4D transducer – for which access to raw scan-converted data is now possible. For parameter settings typical of general abdominal imaging, frame rates around 20 fps are easily achieved (with frame rates possible up to 173 fps depending on image volume size, scan line density, and imaging depth), with spatial resolution comparable to research-grade 2D transducers. Using a modified Philips foot pedal, ultrasound recordings can be made with synchronous audio, and time-ali...
Source: Journal of Phonetics - Category: Speech-Language Pathology Source Type: research