Device and method for measuring the viscoelastic properties of a viscoelastic medium

A probe for measuring viscoelastic properties of a medium, the probe comprising:

• a housing,
• one or more transducers for emitting ultrasonic waves and receiving acoustic echoes, the one or more transducers being mechanically integral with the housing with no motion of the one or more transducers with respect to the housing,
• an inertial vibration exciter for emitting at least one low-frequency elastic wave, said inertial vibration exciter being arranged inside said housing and including
• a fixed part fixed within the housing so as to be mechanically integral with the one or more transducers,
• a mobile part capable of moving freely relative to the fixed part to produce vibrations in order to generate the at least one low-frequency elastic wave,
• the probe being configured to carry out a transient elastography measurement by generating the at least one low-frequency elastic wave in the medium, and concurrently with the generation of the low-frequency wave, emitting the ultrasonic waves, and receiving acoustic echoes due to reflections of the ultrasonic waves in the medium.