Method and system for tissue imaging and analysis
AssigneePerseus-BioMed Inc.
InventorBoaz BEHAR
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for detecting abnormal tissue in a region of healthy tissue, comprising: a) making a first measurement of ultrasound backscattered from the region; b) heating the region, at least after the first measurement; c) making one or more additional measurements of ultrasound backscattered from the region after some or all of the heating; and d) analyzing the measurements to detect the abnormal tissue by finding differences in changes, caused by the heating, of one or more characteristics of ultrasound backscattering, between the abnormal tissue and the healthy tissue.
Claims18
A method for detecting abnormal tissue in a region of healthy tissue, comprising:
- a) making a first measurement of ultrasound backscattered from the region;
- b) heating the region, at least after the first measurement;
- c) making one or more additional measurements of ultrasound backscattered from the region after some or all of the heating;
- and
- d) analyzing the measurements to detect the abnormal tissue by finding differences in changes, caused by the heating, of one or more characteristics of ultrasound backscattering, between the abnormal tissue and the healthy tissue.
A system for detecting at least one type of abnormal tissue in a region of healthy tissue, comprising:
- a) a diagnostic ultrasound transducer and detector;
- b) a tissue heating element, the same as or different from the diagnostic ultrasound transducer, for heating tissue;
- and
- c) a controller programmed to:
- i) control the tissue heating element to heat the tissue in the region;
- ii) control the diagnostic ultrasound transducer and detector to make at least two measurements of backscattered ultrasound from the region, respectively before and after at least one time interval when the tissue heating element is heating the tissue in the region;
- iii) analyze results of the measurements to find differences, at different positions in the region, in one or more characteristics of ultrasound backscattering before and after the time interval, that distinguish that type of abnormal tissue from the healthy tissue;
- and
- iv) using the differences to identify which parts of the region are the abnormal tissue and which are healthy tissue.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.