ULTRASONIC METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DETERMINING TISSUE PATHOLOGY

• US 20130269441A1
• Filed: 11/14/2011
• Published: 10/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University of Utah Research Foundation (State of Utah), Utah Valley University
• Original Assignee: University of Utah Research Foundation (State of Utah), Utah State University
• Inventors: Doyle, Timothy E., Neumayer, Leigh A.
• Granted Patent: US 10,041,910 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/598
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/02475 Tissue characterisation
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/02854 Length, thickness
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/102 one emitter, one receiver
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/07 by measuring propagation velocity or propagation time of acoustic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/11 by measuring attenuation of acoustic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/46 by spectral analysis, e.g. Fourier analysis or wavelet analysis spectral signal processing per se G06F17/14

Abstract

A method for determining a pathology of a tissue sample. The method includes steps of coupling the tissue sample between two oppositely-facing ultrasonic transducers; acquiring a pulse-echo ultrasonic measurement and a through-transmission ultrasonic measurement of the tissue sample using the ultrasonic transducers; analyzing at least one of the pulse-echo ultrasonic measurement and the through-transducer transmission ultrasonic measurement using time domain analysis; analyzing at least one of the through-transmission ultrasonic measurements and the pulse-echo ultrasonic measurements using frequency domain analysis; and determining the pathology of the tissue sample based on at least one of the time domain analysis and the frequency domain analysis.

Claims

1-26. -26. (canceled)

27. A system for determining a pathology of a tissue sample, comprising:

a pair of oppositely-facing ultrasonic transducers configured to be coupled to the tissue sample;

a controller operatively coupled to the transducers, the controller configured to

acquire a pulse-echo ultrasonic measurement and a through-transmission ultrasonic measurement of the tissue sample using the ultrasonic transducers;

analyze at least one of the pulse-echo ultrasonic measurement and the through-transmission ultrasonic measurement using time domain analysis;

analyze at least one of the through-transmission ultrasonic measurement and the pulse-echo ultrasonic measurement using frequency domain analysis; and

determine the pathology of the tissue sample based on at least one of the time domain analysis and the frequency domain analysis.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the controller, in order to analyze at least one of the pulse-echo ultrasonic measurement and the through-transmission ultrasonic measurement using time domain analysis, is further configured to determine at least one of an ultrasonic sound speed and an attenuation value.

30. The system of claim 27, wherein the controller, in order to analyze at least one of the through-transmission ultrasonic measurement and the pulse-echo ultrasonic measurement using frequency domain analysis, is further configured to obtain a frequency spectrum by performing a Fourier transform on at least one of the pulse-echo ultrasonic measurement and the through-transmission ultrasonic measurement.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein the controller is further configured to obtain a power spectrum by taking the absolute value of the frequency spectrum.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the controller is further configured to determine peak density in the power spectrum.

35. The system of claim 33, wherein the controller is further configured to determine a peak density in a range of 20 MHz to 80 MHz.

36. The system of claim 32, wherein the controller is further configured to

window the power spectrum,

pad the windowed power spectrum,

perform a forward Fourier transform on the padded and windowed power spectrum to produce a complex function, and

determine an absolute value of the complex function to produce a modified cepstrum.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the controller is further configured to analyze the modified cepstrum, the controller being configured to

calculate a logarithm of the modified cepstrum, and

determine a slope of the logarithm of the modified cepstrum.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the controller is configured to determine a slope of the logarithm of the modified cepstrum in a range of 0 to 0.3 μ

s.

43. The system of claim 27, wherein the tissue sample comprises breast tissue and wherein the controller is further configured to classify the tissue sample as normal breast tissue, FN-FA-TA (fat necrosis-fibroadenoma-tubular adenoma), benign pathology, ductal carcinoma, or lobular carcinoma.

45. The system of claim 27, wherein the ultrasonic transducers comprise single element high-frequency ultrasonic transducers.

46. The system of claim 27, wherein the ultrasonic transducers comprise high-frequency ultrasonic arrays.

48. The system of claim 27, wherein the controller is further configured to determine the pathology of the tissue sample based on mathematical modeling of a tissue type.

49. The system of claim 27, further comprising a pulser/receiver operatively coupled to at least one of the transducers.

51. The system of claim 27, further comprising an aluminum support structure operatively coupled to the ultrasonic transducers and the tissue sample.

29. (canceled)

31. (canceled)

34. (canceled)

39-42. -42. (canceled)

44. (canceled)

47. (canceled)

50. (canceled)

52. A system for determining a pathology of a tissue sample, comprising:

an ultrasonic transducer disposed adjacent a reflective surface, the ultrasonic transducer being configured to be coupled to the tissue sample;

a controller operatively coupled to the transducer, the controller configured to

acquire a pulse-echo ultrasonic measurement of the tissue sample using the ultrasonic transducer;

analyze the pulse-echo ultrasonic measurement using time domain analysis;

analyze the pulse-echo ultrasonic measurements using frequency domain analysis; and

determine the pathology of the tissue sample based on at least one of the time domain analysis and the frequency domain analysis.

53. The system of claim 52, wherein the controller, in order to analyze the pulse-echo ultrasonic measurement using time domain analysis, is further configured to determine at least one of an ultrasonic sound speed and an attenuation value.

54. The system of claim 52, wherein the controller, in order to analyze the pulse-echo ultrasonic measurement using frequency domain analysis, is further configured to obtain a frequency spectrum by performing a Fourier transform on the pulse-echo ultrasonic measurement.

55. The system of claim 54, wherein the controller is further configured to obtain a power spectrum by taking the absolute value of the frequency spectrum.

56. The system of claim 55, wherein the controller is further configured to determine peak density in the power spectrum.

57. The system of claim 56, wherein the controller is further configured to determine a peak density in a range of 20 MHz to 80 MHz.

58. The system of claim 55, wherein the controller is further configured to

window the power spectrum,

pad the windowed power spectrum,

perform a forward Fourier transform on the padded and windowed power spectrum to produce a complex function, and

determine an absolute value of the complex function to produce a modified cepstrum.

59. The system of claim 58, wherein the controller is further configured to analyze the modified cepstrum, the controller being configured to

calculate a logarithm of the modified cepstrum, and

determine a slope of the logarithm of the modified cepstrum.

60. The system of claim 59, wherein the controller is configured to determine a slope of the logarithm of the modified cepstrum in a range of 0 to 0.3 μ

s.

61. The system of claim 52, wherein the tissue sample comprises breast tissue and wherein the controller is further configured to classify the tissue sample as normal breast tissue, FN-FA-TA (fat necrosis-fibroadenoma-tubular adenoma), benign pathology, ductal carcinoma, or lobular carcinoma.

62. The system of claim 52, wherein the ultrasonic transducer comprises a single element high-frequency ultrasonic transducer.

63. The system of claim 52, wherein the ultrasonic transducer comprises a high-frequency ultrasonic array.

64. The system of claim 52, wherein the controller is further configured to determine the pathology of the tissue sample based on mathematical modeling of a tissue type.

65. The system of claim 52, further comprising a pulser/receiver operatively coupled to the transducer.

66. The system of claim 52, further comprising an aluminum support structure operatively coupled to the ultrasonic transducer, the reflective surface, and the tissue sample.