Sheer speed imaging using coherence
AssigneeSiemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
InventorsYassin Labyed, Liexiang Fan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
To increase the signal-to-noise ratio for displacements used to estimate the shear speed in patient tissue, constructive interference from multiple shear waves is used. By transmitting acoustic radiation force impulses focused at different locations, the resulting shear waves may constructively interfere within a region of interest. This constructive interference causes a greater amplitude of displacement. The location of this more easily detected greater interference and the difference in time of the transmitted acoustic radiation force impulses are used to estimate the shear wave speed for the tissue.
Claims11
A method for shear speed imaging with an ultrasound scanner, the method comprising:
- transmitting first and second acoustic radiation force pulses from a transducer of the ultrasound scanner to opposite sides of a region of interest of tissue of a patient and separated in time by a first amount, first and second shear waves being generated on the opposite sides due to the first and second acoustic radiation force pulses;
- repetitively scanning, by the ultrasound scanner, the region of interest with ultrasound as the first and second shear waves propagate in the region of interest;
- detecting a location of a greater displacement in the region of interest due to coherence of the first and second shear waves at the location, the location determined from data obtained by the scanning;
- calculating a shear wave speed of the tissue as a function of the first amount of the time and the location;
- and
- generating an image of the shear wave speed of the tissue of the patient.
A method for shear speed imaging with an ultrasound scanner, the method comprising:
- transmitting first and second acoustic radiation force pulses from a transducer of the ultrasound scanner to opposite sides of a region of interest of tissue of a patient and separated in time by a first amount, first and second shear waves being generated on the opposite sides due to the first and second acoustic radiation force pulses;
- repetitively scanning, by the ultrasound scanner, the region of interest with ultrasound as the first and second shear waves propagate in the region of interest;
- detecting a location of a greater displacement in the region of interest due to coherence of the first and second shear waves at the location, the location determined from data obtained by the scanning;
- calculating a shear wave speed of the tissue as a function of the first amount of the time and the location, wherein calculating the shear wave speed comprises calculating the shear wave speed as two times a distance of the location from a center of the region of interest, divided by the first amount;
- and
- generating an image of the shear wave speed of the tissue of the patient.
A method for shear speed imaging with an ultrasound scanner, the method comprising:
- transmitting first and second acoustic radiation force pulses from a transducer of the ultrasound scanner to opposite sides of a region of interest of tissue of a patient and separated in time by a first amount, first and second shear waves being generated on the opposite sides due to the first and second acoustic radiation force pulses, wherein transmitting comprises transmitting with foci at a depth greater than 8 cm;
- repetitively scanning, by the ultrasound scanner, the region of interest with ultrasound as the first and second shear waves propagate in the region of interest;
- detecting a location of a greater displacement in the region of interest due to coherence of the first and second shear waves at the location, the location determined from data obtained by the scanning, wherein detecting the location comprises detecting the location at the depth greater than 8 cm;
- calculating a shear wave speed of the tissue as a function of the first amount of the time and the location, and wherein calculating comprises calculating the shear wave speed at the depth greater than 8 cm;
- and
- generating an image of the shear wave speed of the tissue of the patient.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.