Imaging methods and apparatuses for performing shear wave elastography imaging

An imaging apparatus for shear wave elastography imaging of an observation field in a medium, the imaging apparatus comprising:

• a display;
• at least one electronic central controller;
• and
• an array of transducers that are controlled independently of one another by the at least one electronic central controller configured to:
• acquire a plurality of sets of shear wave propagation parameters in a plurality of shear wave imaging operations corresponding to respective shear waves, the propagation parameters being one of a shear modulus, Young's modulus, a propagation speed of the shear waves, and a shear elasticity, by:
• causing at least one ultrasound wave to be emitted into the medium by the array of transducers to generate an elastic shear wave inside the medium,
• simultaneously observing the propagation of said shear wave at a plurality of points in an observation field, by:
• causing the array of transducers to emit into the medium a succession of ultrasound waves with spatial coverage and timing adapted so that said ultrasound waves exhibit at least partial spatial and temporal overlap with the propagating shear wave in the observation field, and
• causing sound signals received from said observation field to be detected in real time by said array of transducers, said sound signals comprising echoes generated by the ultrasound waves interacting with scatterers in the medium, and
• determining the plurality of sets of shear wave propagation parameters in the observation field, said set of shear wave propagation parameters being associated with the plurality of points in the observation field, and
• determine a plurality of reliability indicators of the shear wave elastography imaging operations of the observation field, said plurality of reliability indicators being associated to a plurality of points in the observation field, each of the reliability indicators being determined by a similarity between at least two of the sets of shear wave propagation parameters determined from successive ones of the shear wave elastography imaging operations, and
• display, on the display to an operator, an image of said plurality of reliability indicators.