ECE 700 Topic 5 - Biomedical Ultrasonics
Course Description and Aims
This is a course dedicated to the technical foundations of biomedical ultrasound, and it is designed for graduate students. We will cover the physical principles behind ultrasound, its medical imaging modes, and its therapeutic usages. The overall aim of this course is to provide students with a top-down technical overview on ultrasound and its biomedical applications.
Teaching Staff
Alfred
C.
H.
Yu
Associate
Professor,
Electrical
and
Computer
Engineering
E-mail:
alfred.yu@uwaterloo.ca
Ext:
36908
Office:
EIT
4125
Course Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course students should be able to demonstrate a threshold level of mastery of the following learning outcomes:
- Describe how ultrasound is used in diagnostics and therapy
- Summarize the imaging principles related to ultrasound
- Give examples on the biomedical applications of ultrasound
- Explain the potential safety concerns on ultrasound
Course Teaching and Learning Activities and Alignment with Learning Outcomes
This course will be taught mostly using the lecturing format. Each lecture will be 3 hours in length. Tentative course topics and their alignment with the learning outcomes are described below.
| Course Topic | Learning Outcomes |
| Basic ultrasound principles | 1 |
| Basics of ultrasound imaging | 2 |
| Ultrasound image acquisition | 2 |
| Ultrasound-based blood flow measurements | 1, 3 |
| Ultrasound biomicroscopy | 1, 3 |
| Nonlinear ultrasonics and its imaging applications | 1, 2 |
| Principles of acoustic cavitation | 1 |
| Principles of acoustic radiation and streaming | 1 |
| Thermal-based ultrasound therapy | 1, 3 |
| Microbubbles in imaging and therapy | 1, 3 |
| Ultrasound-induced bioeffects | 4 |
Course Prerequisites
Background in general wave physics (ECE 105 or equivalent) and signals theory (ECE 207 or equivalent) is preferred. Literacy in human biology is not mandatory, but will be a plus.
Grade Breakdown
- Assignments & In-Class Discussions 30%
- In-Class Tests 20%
- Final Exam 50%
References and Course Website
No textbook is required for this course. Selected course readings will be posted on LEARN. Students are advised to regularly consult the LEARN site for this course.