Estimation of the Thickness Profile of a Human Skull Phantom by Ultrasound Methods Using a Two-Dimensional Array

The paper presents the results of evaluating the thickness profile of a skull phantom using a two-dimensional ultrasound array consisting of piezoelectric elements with a center frequency of 2.1 MHz. Two pulse-echo ultrasound methods were used in the experiment: the A-mode elementwise measurements and scanning with a focused probing beam created by the entire array using delay-and-sum (DAS) beamforming. The obtained thickness profiles are compared with the reference thickness profile obtained using X-ray computed tomography. It was shown that ultrasound DAS beamforming with a focused probing beam makes it technically possible to estimate the thickness profile of the skull phantom.