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Determining material stiffness using multiple aperture ultrasound

  • US 10,675,000 B2
  • Filed: 05/16/2016
  • Issued: 06/09/2020
  • Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2007
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. An ultrasound imaging system, comprising:

  • a first ultrasound transducer array configured to transmit an init wavefront that induces a propagating shear wave in a region of interest;

    a second ultrasound transducer array configured to transmit circular waveforms into the region of interest and receive echoes of the circular waveforms; and

    a processor configured to form a plurality of B-mode images of the region of interest from the circular waveforms to detect the propagating shear wave in the region of interest;

    wherein the processor is configured to form a first frame of the plurality of B-mode images by combining sub-images formed by echoes received by multiple elements of the second ultrasound transducer array;

    wherein the processor is configured to form a second frame of the plurality of B-mode images by;

    transmitting a first unfocused ultrasound ping from a first transmitter transducer element of the second ultrasound transducer array;

    forming a first image layer using echoes of only the first ultrasound ping received by elements of a first receive aperture of the second ultrasound transducer array;

    forming a second image layer using echoes of only the first ultrasound ping received by elements of a second receive aperture of the second ultrasound transducer array; and

    combining the first image layer and the second image layer with the electronic controller to form the first frame;

    wherein the processor is further configured to calculate a speed of the propagating shear wave by identifying a first position of the shear wave in the first frame of the plurality of B-mode images, identifying a second position of the shear wave in the second frame of the plurality of B-mode images, determining a distance traveled by the shear wave between the first frame and the second frame, determining a time elapsed between the first frame and the second frame, and dividing the distance traveled by the time elapsed.

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