According to one embodiment, an analysis apparatus includes processing circuitry. The processing circuitry configured to generate a harmonic signal and a fundamental wave signal based on a reception signal that is collected by an ultrasound probe, the harmonic signal corresponding to a harmonic component of a reflected wave of a ultrasound generated in the subject, the fundamental wave signal corresponding to a fundamental wave component of the reflected wave, calculate a first index value indicating tissue properties of the subject based on the harmonic signal, and calculate a second index value indicating the tissue properties based on the fundamental wave signal, and display an analysis result based on the first index value and the second index value.

A medical diagnostic imaging system and method for adjusting image gain compensation when changing from a first imaging state to a second imaging state, where a first image power value is determined from an image acquired in a first imaging state with a first image gain compensation, a second image power value is determined from an image acquired in a second imaging state with an initial second image gain compensation, an image power change value is determined from the first image power value and the second image power value, and an adjusted second image gain compensation calculated from the initial second image gain compensation and the image power change value.

An interferometric synthetic aperture acoustic imager is disclosed. Specifically, an acoustic imaging system includes an acoustic transmitter, an acoustic receiver array, a signal processing system, a navigation data system, and a meteorological data system. The acoustic transmitter and the acoustic receiver array are mounted on transceiver array. The navigation data system includes a Position and Orientation System for Land Vehicles system which receives data from two Global Positioning System antennas, an inertial measurement unit, and a wheel encoder mounted on a vehicle wheel. The system also includes meteorological data system that records temperature, relative humidity, and barometric pressure. The meteorological data may be used to adjust the received acoustic data based on atmospheric conditions.

This disclosure provides a system and method for producing ultrasound images based on Full Waveform Inversion (FWI). The system captures acoustic/(an)elastic waves transmitted through and reflected and/or diffracted from a medium. The system performs an FWI process in a time domain in conjunction with an accurate wave propagation solver. The system produces 3D maps of physical parameters that control wave propagation, such as shear and compressional wavespeeds, mass density, attenuation, Poisson's ratio, bulk and shear moduli, impedance, and even the fourth-order elastic tensor containing up to 21 independent parameters, which are of significant diagnostic value, e.g., for medical imaging and non-destructive testing.

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.

An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes: a hardware processor that determines a focal position of a push wave, and positions of observation points in a region of interest indicating an analysis target range within the subject, causes the ultrasonic probe to perform transmission of a push wave focusing on the focal position, and subsequent to the transmission, causes the ultrasonic probe to transmit a detection wave passing through the region of interest within the subject, and calculates amounts of displacement of tissue of the subject at the observation points on the basis of a reflected wave obtained by the ultrasonic probe in response to the transmission of the detection wave, calculates propagation speeds of the shear wave in the tissue of the subject with respect to the observation points on the basis of the amounts of displacement, and evaluates values of the propagation speeds calculated to create an evaluation result.

The present subject matter relates to techniques for harmonic motion elastography. The disclosed system can include a focused ultrasound (FUS) transducer for applying a push to a target tissue; an imaging transducer for obtaining radio frequency (RF) signals from the target tissue, and a processor configured to estimate the mechanical properties of the target tissue by extracting a shear wave from the RF signals and estimating a shear wave speed.

A multipulse elastography method for the quantitative measurement of at least one mechanical property of a viscoelastic medium having an ultrasonic signal after ultrasonic illumination, the method including defining characteristics of at least two mechanical pulses; generating the at least two mechanical pulses for which characteristics are defined in a viscoelastic medium; monitoring a propagation of at least two shear waves generated by the at least two mechanical pulses using acquisition and emission of ultrasonic signals, in the viscoelastic medium, and calculating at least one mechanical property of said viscoelastic medium using said acquisitions of said ultrasonic signals.

A system useful for performing ultrasound elastography of organs such as the liver allows efficient and robust data acquisition. The system may be applied to perform real-time, noninvasive ultrasound imaging of the liver in humans. Steady-state, shear wave absolute elastography is used to measure the Young's modulus of the liver tissue. This method involves the use of an external exciter or vibrator to shake the tissue and generate a shear wave. Accurate placement of an ultrasound transducer facilitates measurement of the tissue motion due to the shear wave. The stiffness of tissues in the region being imaged may be computed from the measured tissue motions. The following innovations address both vibrator and transducer placement, as well as some specific methods to ensure adequate wave propagation, in order to obtain accurate and consistent measurements.

The wave number and phase velocity (shear wave speed) of ultrasound energy within an organ of interest are calculated using a herein-disclosed phase gradient calculation method. This calculation method is less sensitive to imperfections in the reverberant field distribution and requires a smaller support window, relative to earlier calculation methods based on autocorrelation. Applications are shown in simulations, phantoms, and in vivo liver.