  Generation of super-resolution (SR) ultrasound (US) images, created from the
successive local-ization of individual microbubbles in the circulation, has
enabled the visualization of microvascular structure and flow at a level of
detail that was not possible previously. Despite rapid progress, tradeoffs
between spatial and temporal resolution may challenge the translation of this
promising technology to the clinic. To temper these trade-offs, we propose a
method based on morphological image reconstriction. This method can extract
from ultrafast contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) images hundreds of
microbubble peaks per image (312-by-180 pixels) with intensity values varying
by an order of magnitude. Specifically, it offers a fourfold increase in the
number of peaks detected per frame, requires on the order of 100 ms for
processing, and is robust to additive electronic noise (down to 3.6 dB CNR in
CEUS images). By integrating this method to a SR framework we demonstrate a
6-fold improvement in spatial resolution, as compared to CEUS, in imaging
chicken embryo microvessels. This method that is computationally efficient and,
thus, scalable to large data sets, may augment the abilities of SR-US in
imaging microvascular structure and function.
