# US 10,368,750 B2 · Shear wave imaging method and installation for collecting information on a soft solid > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,368,750 B2 - Document ID: US10368750B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/903,876 - Filed: 2014-07-10 - Published: 2016-12-22 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2013-07-11 - Assignees: Inserm (Institut National De La Sante Et De La Recherche Medicale); Universite Claude Bernard Lyon 1 - Applicants: Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale (INSERM); Universite Claude Bernard Lyon I - Inventors: Stefan Catheline; Jean-Yves Chapelon; Remi Souchon; Pol Grasland-Mongrain; Cyril Lafon - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10368750B2 ## CPC - A61B 5/0051: {by applying vibrations} - A61B 5/05: Detecting, measuring or recording for diagnosis by means of electric currents or magnetic fields; Measuring using microwaves or radio waves (measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof A61B5/11; detecting, measuring or recording bioelectric or biomagnetic signals of the body or parts thereof A61B5/24) - A61B 5/0536: Impedance imaging, e.g. by tomography - A61B 8/485: {involving measuring strain or elastic properties} - G01R 33/56358: {Elastography} - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12) ## Abstract This shear wave imaging method, for collecting information on a target region (R) of a soft solid (S), comprises at least the steps a) of generating at least one shear wave (SW) in the target region, and b) of detecting a propagation pattern of the shear wave in the target region. Step a) is realized by applying to particles of the target region (R) some Lorentz forces resulting from an electric field (E) and from a magnetic field (B). At least one of the electric field (E) and the magnetic field (B) is variable in time, with a central frequency (fo) between 1 Hz and 10 kHz. Alternatively, both the electric and magnetic fields (E, B) are variable in time, with a central difference frequency (Δfo) between 1 Hz and 10 kHz. The shear wave imaging installation comprises a first system (4, 7) for generating at least one shear wave (SW) in the target region (R) and a second system (10) for detecting a propagation pattern of the shear wave. The first system includes first means (4) to apply an electric field (E) through the target region (R) and second means (7) to apply a magnetic field (B) through the target region. The first and second means are configured to apply to particles of the target region some Lorentz forces resulting from the electric field (E) and the magnetic field (B), where at least one of these fields is a quantity variable in time, with a central frequency (fo) between 1 Hz and 10 kHz, or both fields are quantities variable in time, with a central difference frequency (Δfo) between 1 Hz and 10 kHz. ## Claims ### Claim 1 Shear wave imaging method for collecting information on a target region of a soft solid, the method comprising at least the following steps: a) generating at least one shear wave in the target region, b) detecting a propagation pattern of the at least one shear wave in the target region characterized in that step a) is realized by applying to particles of the target region some Lorentz forces resulting from an electric field and from a magnetic field, at least one of the electric field and the magnetic field is variable in time, with a central frequency between 1 Hz and 10 kHz or both the electric and magnetic fields are variable in time, with a central difference frequency between 1 Hz and 10 kHz. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein during step a), a first one of the electric field and the magnetic field is variable in time and the second one of the electric field and the magnetic field is constant in time. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, wherein during step a), the electric field is variable in time and the magnetic field is constant in time. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, wherein during step a), the magnetic field is variable in time and the electric field is constant in time. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein during step a), both the electric field and the magnetic field are variable in time, at frequencies between 1 and 10 kHz, or both the electric field and the magnetic field are variable in time at high frequencies, with a central difference frequency between 1 Hz and 10 kHz. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the central frequency of the variable field or the central difference frequency is between 5 and 1000 Hz. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the electric field is generated by two electrodes located on both sides, on one side or within the soft solid and connected to a source of electric current with an intensity between 1 μA and 1 A. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the electric field is generated by a second magnetic field, variable in time. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the soft solid is a biological tissue of human, animal or vegetal origin, preferably an organ, or an artificial medium. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein during step b), measurement of the shear wave propagation speed occurs via a sensor assembly based on ultrasound technology. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein during step b), measurement of the shear wave propagation speed occurs via a sensor assembly based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method according to claim 11, wherein the magnetic field used during step a) is generated by the sensor assembly based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein during step b) a source of the at least one shear wave is detected. ### Claim 14 Shear wave imaging installation for collecting information of a target region of a soft solid, said shear wave imaging installation comprising: a first system for generating at least one shear wave in the target region a second system for detecting a propagation pattern of the at least one shear wave characterized in that the first system includes first means to apply an electric field through the target region and second means to apply a magnetic field through the target region and in that the first and second means are configured to apply to particles of the target region Lorentz forces resulting from the electric field and the magnetic field, where at least one of the electric field and the magnetic field is a quantity variable in time, with a central frequency (f0) between 1 Hz and 10 kHz, or both the electric and magnetic fields are quantities variable in time, with a central difference frequency between 1 Hz and 10 kHz. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The installation according to claim 14, wherein the first means includes a set of electrodes installed on both sides, on one side or within the soft solid and connected to a source of electric current with an intensity between 1 μa and 1 A. ### Claim 16 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the central difference frequency is between 50 and 150 Hz. ### Claim 17 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the biological tissue is an organ.