Device and method for measuring the elasticity of a human or animal organ
AssigneeEchosens
InventorsLaurent Sandrin, Jean-Michel Hasquenoph
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A device for measuring elasticity of a human or animal organ or viscoelastic media having an ultrasonic signal after ultrasonic illumination including at least one sensor including an ultrasonic transducer, at least one position sensor, an actuator to trigger the device connected by wire link to an electric power source, and a controlled electrodynamic actuator attached to the ultrasonic transducer that generates a transitory low-frequency impulse having a frequency range between about 1 Hz and about 5000 Hz.
Claims27
A device for measuring elasticity of a human or animal organ or viscoelastic media having an ultrasonic signal after being subjected to ultrasonic impulses comprising:
- at least one sensor comprising an ultrasonic transducer,
- at least one position sensor,
- an actuator to trigger the device connected by wire link to an electric power source,
- a controlled electrodynamic actuator attached to the ultrasonic transducer that generates a transitory low-frequency impulse having a frequency range between about 1 Hz and about 5000 Hz and results in a low-frequency vibration or stress that is controlled in time and amplitude and allows an operator to apply pressure to the organ, and
- a computer configured to calculate velocities of tissue deformations.
A device for measuring elasticity of a human or animal organ or viscoelastic media having an ultrasonic signal after being subjected to ultrasonic impulses comprising:
- at least one sensor comprising an ultrasonic transducer,
- at least one position sensor,
- an actuator to trigger the device connected by wire link to an electric power source, and
- a controlled electrodynamic actuator attached to the ultrasonic transducer that generates a transitory low-frequency impulse having a frequency range between about 1 Hz and about 5000 Hz, and further comprising an elastic intermediary medium adjacent to the transducer and transparent to ultrasound and the low-frequency impulse.
A method for determining elasticity of a human or animal organ or viscoelastic media having an ultrasonic signal after being subjected to ultrasonic impulses with a device comprising at least one ultrasonic transducer, at least one position sensor, a controlled electrodynamic actuator connected by wire link to an electric power source, comprising:
- generating a low-frequency impulse with the ultrasonic transducer and acquiring ultrasonic signals with the ultrasonic transducer,
- compensating for relative displacement of the transducer,
- determining tissue velocities by using displacements between acquired signals in the organ/media,
- determining velocities of tissue deformations,
- determining velocity of the elastic wave, and
- determining the elasticity according to E=3pVs2, wherein E is elasticity, p is density of the organ and Vs is velocity of the elastic wave.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.