A method for quantifying the elasticity of a material by ultrasounds, comprising the generation of one excitation point, for generating a shear wave, a measurement of the shear wave at a plurality of lines of sight placed in a region of interest at different predetermined distances from the first excitation point, the calculation of the speed of the measured shear wave and the assessment, by calculation, of a mean stiffness value of the material in the region of interest on the basis of the measured speed of the shear wave. In the acquired image, a second excitation point is defined, in such a position that the region of interest is interposed between the first excitation point and the second excitation point. The method for the second excitation point is carried out, for calculating the speed of the shear wave for the second excitation point, and the assessment by calculation of the mean stiffness value is carried out on the basis of the average between the speed of the shear wave measured for the first excitation point and the speed of the shear wave measured for the second excitation point.

A method and apparatus for generating a shear wave. The method comprises: transducers transmit ultrasound waves to a region of interest once; the ultrasound waves focus on at least two focal points in an acoustic field; and with shear wave sources corresponding to the at least two focal points that propagates in a direction perpendicular to a transmission direction of the ultrasound waves. A method and apparatus for detecting an ultrasound elasticity of a shear wave discloses, in a same ultrasound transmission, multiple focal points are gathered in an acoustic field by the ultrasound waves, under the joint effect of the multiple focal points, and a shear wave zone propagated in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the ultrasound waves is transmitted is formed, so as to expand a propagation range of the shear wave in a tissue, so that detecting ultrasound waves can perform elasticity detection on the tissue in a large range.

A method for quantitatively measuring a physical characteristic of a material includes performing one or more interrogations of a material sample, each interrogation using a push focal configuration. The method further includes taking measurements of displacement over time of a material sample caused by the one or more interrogations. Each measurement uses an interrogation focal configuration. The method further includes determining a physical characteristic of the material sample based on the measurements of displacement over time of the material sample. According to the method, at least one of the following is true: a tracking focal configuration used for one of the measurements is different from a tracking focal configuration used for another of the measurements; and a push focal configuration used for one of the interrogations is different from a push focal configuration used for another of the interrogations.

An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system acquires different kinds of pilot images showing different characteristics of a region of a body where shearwave measurements are performed. The pilot images are analyzed by a push pulse locator to adaptively generate push pulses at locations in the body which minimize or avoid shearwave travel through blood vessels, through regions of stiffness inhomogeneities in the body, or at times when shearwaves are adversely affected by tissue motion.

Estimation and imaging of linear and nonlinear propagation and scattering parameters in a material object where the material parameters for wave propagation and scattering has a nonlinear dependence on the wave field amplitude. The methods transmit at least two pulse complexes composed of co-propagating high frequency (HF) and low frequency (LF) pulses along at least one LF and HF transmit beam axis, where said HF pulse propagates close to the crest or trough of the LF pulse along at least one HF transmit beam, and where one of the amplitude and polarity of the LF pulse varies between at least two transmitted pulse complexes. At least one HF receive beam crosses the HF transmit beam at an angle, to provide at least two HF cross-beam receive signals from at least two transmitted pulse complexes with different LF pulses.

Shear wave propagation is used to estimate the speed of sound in a patient. An ultrasound scanner detects a time of occurrence of a shear wave at each of multiple locations. The difference in time of occurrence, given tissue stiffness or shear velocity, is used to estimate the speed of sound for the specific tissue of the patient.

A shear wave propagation speed determination method and device. The method comprises: when a shear wave propagates along a tissue region of interest, acquiring motion data of each preset position point in the tissue region of interest (step 301); determining a value of the motion data of each preset position point (step 302), wherein the magnitude of the value represents regularity of a propagation waveform of the shear wave; and if the value meets a first preset condition, determining, on the basis of the motion data of each preset position point in the tissue region of interest, a propagation speed of the shear wave at each preset position point in the tissue region of interest (step 303). The invention improves accuracy in determination of the propagation speed of a shear wave.

The present disclosure describes ultrasound systems and methods configured to determine the elasticity of a target tissue. Systems can include an ultrasound transducer configured to acquire echoes responsive to ultrasound pulses transmitted toward the tissue, which may include a region of increased stiffness. Systems can also include a beamformer configured to control the transducer to transmit a push pulse into the tissue, thereby generating a shear wave in the region of increased stiffness. The beamformer can be configured to control the transducer to emit tracking pulses adjacent to the push pulse. Systems can further include a processor configured to determine a displacement amplitude of the shear wave and based on the amplitude, generate a qualitative tissue elasticity map of the tissue. The processor can combine the qualitative map with a quantitative map of the same tissue, and based on the combination, determine a boundary of the region of increased stiffness.

Methods of triggering an imaging acquisition of a target region in an ultrasound transducer include: acquiring a first type of ultrasound data with the ultrasound transducer using a first type of ultrasound acquisition; analyzing the first type of ultrasound data to identify an acquisition time and/or position having characteristics that increase an estimated amount of image quality metrics in the target region for a second type of ultrasound acquisition; and generating a signal to initiate acquiring a second type of ultrasound data by the ultrasound transducer at the identified acquisition time and/or position using a second type of ultrasound acquisition in response to the identified acquisition time and/or position identified from the first type of ultrasound data.

Ultrasound-based acoustic streaming for deciding whether material is fluid is dependent upon any one or more of a variety of criteria. Examples are displacement, speed, temporal or spatial flow variance, progressive decorrelation, slope or straightness of accumulated signal to background comparisons over time, and relative displacement to adjacent soft tissue. Echogenicity-based area identification is combinable with the above movement characteristic detection in the deciding. Fluid pool identification is performable from the area-limited acoustic streaming testing and ultrasound attenuation readings. Candidates from among the areas are screenable based on specific shapes or bodily organs detected. Natural flow can be excluded from streaming detection by identification of blood vessels. Processing for each FAST ultrasound view, or for the entire procedure, is performable automatically, without need for user intervention or with user intervention to identify suspected areas.