Impact of Frequency, Bandwidth, Focus, and Angle of Incidence on Lung Ultrasound Vertical Artifacts' Intensity, in-vitro Study

Lung ultrasound (LUS) is an increasingly growing application of ultrasound technologies. Nevertheless, the presence of air in lungs does not allow the anatomical investigation of this organ. In fact, clinicians base their evaluation on the visual interpretation of imaging artifacts, especially vertical artifacts, which correlate with several pathologies. However, standardized imaging modalities specifically designed for lung are lacking, also due to the unclearness on the genesis of these artifacts. To develop imaging protocols specifically designed for this organ, the dependence of vertical artifacts on different imaging parameters should be quantitatively evaluated. In this study, we thus aim at analyzing the impact of bandwidth, angle of incidence (which have never been evaluated), center frequency, and focal point on the vertical artifacts' intensity.