Current research interests are the development and evaluation of improved medical ultrasound image quality for applications in cardiology, radiology and obstetrics. Advances in image quality result from improvements in the spatial resolution and signal-to-noise ratio of diagnostic ultrasound scanners through novel signal processing techniques and improved design of ultrasound transducers.

One current project includes the development of two-dimensional phased array transducers for application in the Duke 3-D ultrasound scanner in these N x N, "checkerboard'' arrays are used to steer the ultrasound beam in both the azimuth and elevation directions within the patient's body to interrogate a pyramidal shaped object and produce a volumetric scan at high speeds without moving the transducer.

Recently developed transducers include 100 x 100 = 10,000 element arrays operating at 5-10 MHz. Each square element is only 0.2 mm on a side. In addition, we have developed such 2D arrays to fit inside of intra-cardiac catheters only 2 mm in diameter for guidance of cardiac interventional procedures such as mapping and ablation of atrial fibrillation. Processing technologies include the use of micro electronic packaging and fabrication techniques to develop higher frequency arrays up to 20 MHz with improved resolution and smaller element sizes down to 0.05 mm.

Contact Info:

Office Location:	136 Hudson Eng Ctr
Office Phone:	+1 919 660 5160, +1 919 660 5131
Email Address:
Web Page:

Teaching (Fall 2008):

• BME 155.01, SAFETY MEDICAL DEVICES

  Hudson 115, TuTh 02:50 PM-04:05 PM

Education:

PhD, Duke University, 1975

MS, Iowa State University, 1969

AB, Thomas Moore College, 1967

Specialties:

Medical Imaging
3D Ultrasound
Medical Instrumentation
Medical Diagnostics
Ultrasound imaging

Research Interests:

Current research interests are the development and evaluation of improved medical ultrasound image quality for applications in cardiology, radiology and obstetrics. Advances in image quality result from improvements in the spatial resolution and signal-to-noise ratio of diagnostic ultrasound scanners through novel signal processing techniques and improved design of ultrasound transducers.

Awards, Honors, and Distinctions

Best Paper Award, IEEE Ultrasonics Ferroelectrics and Frequency Control, 1994
Fellow, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, 1999

Recent Publications   (More Publications)

1. Pua, E.C. and Fronheiser, M.P. and Noble, J.R. and Light, E.D. and Wolf, P.D. and von Allmen, D. and Smith, S.W., 3-D ultrasound guidance of surgical robotics: a feasibility study, IEEE Trans. Ultrason. Ferroelectr. Freq. Control (USA), vol. 53 no. 11 (2006), pp. 1999 - 2008  [abs].
2. Ivancevich, N.M. and Dahl, J.J. and Trahey, G.E. and Smith, S.W., Phase-aberration correction with a 3-D ultrasound scanner: feasibility study, IEEE Trans. Ultrason. Ferroelectr. Freq. Control (USA), vol. 53 no. 8 (2006), pp. 1432 - 9 [TUFFC.2006.1665100]  [abs].
3. Gentry, K.L. and Palmeri, M.L. and Sachedina, N. and Smith, S.W., Finite-element analysis of temperature rise and lesion formation from catheter ultrasound ablation transducers, IEEE Trans. Ultrason. Ferroelectr. Freq. Control (USA), vol. 52 no. 10 (2005), pp. 1713 - 21  [abs].
4. Light, Edward D. and Dixon-Tulloch, Ellen G. and Wolf, Patrick D. and Smith, Stephen W. and Idriss, Salim F., Real-time 3D ultrasound laparoscopy, Proceedings - IEEE Ultrasonics Symposium, vol. 2 (2005), pp. 796 - 799 [ULTSYM.2005.1602971]  [abs].
5. Dahl, Jeremy J. and Ivancevich, Nikolas M. and Keen, Constance G. and Trahey, Gregg E. and Smith, Stephen W., Phase correction of skull aberration with 1.75-D and 2-D arrays using speckle targets, Proceedings - IEEE Ultrasonics Symposium, vol. 2 (2005), pp. 1323 - 1326 [ULTSYM.2005.1603097]  [abs].