The present invention provides a method for detecting and locating
brachytherapy seeds using Singular Spectrum Analysis (SSA). The method
exploits the presence of seed-specific repetitive echo signals in
detecting seeds and determining their location. Radio frequency (rf) echo
signals received from a scanned area of interest are converted to
zero-mean envelope-detected signals and then processed using SSA to
produce a spectral-power line (a P line). The P line indicates the
relative likelihood of a seed being present. A colored P-mode image
derived from a set of P lines is superimposed on a conventional
ultrasound B-mode image to depict seed location.