A method of shear wave elastography and a shear wave elastography system

Abstract

The embodiment discloses a shear wave elasticity measuring method and a shear wave elasticity imaging system. For each corresponding shear wave, echo signals in a continuous time period can be acquired only at a third position, and an elasticity parameter corresponding to the target region can be acquired according to the echo signals in the continuous time period. The required positions for acquiring the echo signals are few, the total data amount of the required echo signals is small, and the calculation method is simple, so that the performance requirement of the system is greatly reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a method for measuring shear wave elasticity and a shear wave elastic imaging system. Background Technology

[0002] Medical ultrasound elastography mainly refers to a series of imaging and signal processing techniques aimed at displaying differences in tissue elasticity; and the acquired information on tissue elasticity differences (or softness and hardness) has important applications in the auxiliary detection of tissue cancer lesions, the differentiation of benign and malignant lesions, and the evaluation of prognosis and recovery.

[0003] Current medical ultrasound elastography techniques mainly include pressure elastography and shear wave elastography (SWE).

[0004] Pressure elastography (PEA) has the longest history of development and is the most mature technology, but it requires a high level of operator skill. PEA primarily works by using a probe to compress tissue, causing deformation. The probe then emits ultrasound waves and receives echo signals to calculate and image parameters related to tissue elasticity, such as strain rate, thus reflecting the elastic differences between different tissues. Because these strain parameters are highly sensitive to pressure, the pressure applied to the tissue by the probe in PEA needs to be kept as uniform and stable as possible, which places high demands on the operator's skill. Furthermore, since it is difficult to maintain consistent pressure applied to the tissue by the operator between different operations, the repeatability and stability of the imaging are also challenging to guarantee.

[0005] Shear wave elastography primarily works by generating shear waves within tissue and detecting or calculating their propagation parameters (e.g., propagation velocity). Since the elasticity (or stiffness) of the tissue affects these propagation parameters, they can reflect the tissue's elasticity differences (or stiffness). In other words, these detected propagation parameters can be used for elastography. Because it no longer relies on operator-applied pressure as in pressure elastography, shear wave elastography offers significant improvements in stability and repeatability. However, due to the need to detect or calculate shear wave propagation parameters, shear wave elastography systems often involve complex detection or calculation methods and process large amounts of data, placing high demands on system performance. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In one embodiment of the present invention, a method for measuring shear wave elasticity is provided, comprising: generating a first shear wave at a first location on the boundary of a target region; generating a second shear wave at a second location on the boundary of the target region, wherein the second location is located on the propagation path of the first shear wave; transmitting an ultrasonic wave to a third location to detect the first shear wave and the second shear wave, and receiving the echo of the ultrasonic wave to obtain an echo signal, wherein the third location is located outside the target region and the first shear wave propagates to the third location via the second location; obtaining the time when the first shear wave reaches the third location and the time when the second shear wave reaches the third location based on the echo signal; and obtaining elasticity parameters of the target region based on the time when the first shear wave reaches the third location, the time when the second shear wave reaches the third location, and the distance between the first location and the second location.

[0007] In one embodiment of the present invention, a shear wave elastography system is provided, comprising: a probe; a transmission controller, the transmission controller controlling the probe to generate a first shear wave at a first position on the boundary of a target region, and a second shear wave at a second position on the boundary of the target region, wherein the second position is located on the propagation path of the first shear wave; the transmission controller further controlling the probe to emit ultrasonic waves to a third position to detect the first shear wave and the second shear wave, wherein the third position is located outside the target region and the first shear wave propagates to the third position via the second position; a receiving controller, the receiving controller controlling the probe to receive the echo of the ultrasonic waves emitted to the third position to obtain an echo signal; and an image processor, the image processor obtaining the time when the first shear wave propagates to the third position and the time when the second shear wave propagates to the third position based on the echo signal, and obtaining elastic parameters of the target region based on the time when the first shear wave propagates to the third position, the time when the second shear wave propagates to the third position, and the distance between the first position and the second position.

[0008] In one embodiment of the present invention, a method for measuring shear wave elasticity is provided, comprising: generating a first shear wave at a first location on the boundary of a target region; generating a second shear wave at a second location on the boundary of the target region, wherein the second location is located on the propagation path of the first shear wave; transmitting an ultrasonic wave to a third location to detect the first and second shear waves passing through the third location, and receiving the echo of the ultrasonic wave to obtain an echo signal, the echo signal containing information that the first and second shear waves propagate through the third location, wherein the third location is located outside the target region and the first shear wave propagates through the second location to the third location; and obtaining elasticity parameters of the target region based on the echo signal.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present invention, a shear wave elastography system is provided, comprising: a probe; a transmission controller, the transmission controller controlling the probe to generate a first shear wave at a first position on the boundary of a target region, and a second shear wave at a second position on the boundary of the target region, wherein the second position is located on the propagation path of the first shear wave; the transmission controller further controlling the probe to emit ultrasonic waves to a third position to detect the first and second shear waves passing through the third position, wherein the third position is located outside the target region and the first shear wave propagates to the third position via the second position; a receiving controller, the receiving controller controlling the probe to receive the echo of the ultrasonic waves emitted to the third position to obtain an echo signal, wherein the echo signal contains information about the propagation of the first and second shear waves through the third position; and an image processor, the image processor obtaining elastic parameters of the target region based on the echo signal.

[0010] According to the shear wave elasticity measurement method and shear wave elasticity imaging system described above, since for each pair of corresponding shear waves, the echo signal can be obtained only at the third position for a continuous period of time, the elastic parameters corresponding to the target area can be obtained based on the echo signal for that continuous period of time. Not only are there fewer positions required to obtain the echo signal, but the total amount of echo signal data to be obtained is also less, and the calculation method is also simple, which greatly reduces the performance requirements of the system. Attached Figure Description

[0011] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the propagation paths of two shear waves generated in the target area in one embodiment;

[0012] Figure 2 In one embodiment, the receiver is located at point B. Figure 2 A typical curve showing the displacement of the tissue at point B over time, obtained from the echo signals of the two shear waves.

[0013] Figure 3 This is a schematic flowchart of a shear wave elasticity measurement method according to one embodiment;

[0014] Figure 4 (a) and (b) are schematic diagrams of selecting different locations on the boundary of the target area as shear wave generation locations in one embodiment;

[0015] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a shear wave elastic imaging system according to one embodiment;

[0016] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a shear wave elastic imaging system according to another embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0017] Medical ultrasound elastography mainly refers to a series of imaging and signal processing techniques aimed at displaying differences in tissue elasticity. In this embodiment, shear waves are generated within the tissue, ultrasonic waves are emitted to detect the propagation of shear waves within the tissue, and the elastic parameters of the shear waves in the tissue are calculated based on the received echo signals.

[0018] Please refer to Figure 1 The area filled with diagonal lines represents the target tissue portion to be analyzed (i.e., the elasticity or firmness of this tissue), which we can call the target area. The target area can be selected by the user on the ultrasound image, or it can be an image region of a specific tissue structure automatically identified by the system, and so on. Of course, the shape of the target area is not limited to... Figure 1 The rectangle in the text can also be a square or other regular or irregular shape.

[0019] Shear waves are generated at two target points A1 (an example of the first position hereinafter) and A2 (an example of the second position hereinafter) on the boundary of the target area. These shear waves are detected at a location B outside the target area (an example of the third position hereinafter) using ultrasound to obtain echo signals. Ultrasound waves are emitted towards location B via a probe, and the echo signals are received, containing information about the shear waves passing through location B. During this process, when generating shear waves, the shear wave generated at A1 propagates to location B via A2, and the shear wave generated at A2 also propagates to location B. Before explaining the inventive principle of this embodiment, for the sake of simplicity, the shear wave generated at A1 is referred to as the A1 shear wave (first shear wave), and the shear wave generated at A2 is referred to as the A2 shear wave (second shear wave). In this text, shear waves are generated by a focused ultrasound beam emitted by a probe into the tissue, where the acoustic radiation force of the ultrasound beam pushes the tissue.

[0020] When shear wave A1 reaches observation point B, its propagation path within the tissue is A1→A2→B; when shear wave A2 reaches observation point B, its propagation path within the tissue is A2→B. Considering the simplest case, when shear waves A1 and A2 are generated simultaneously, i.e., both shear waves A1 and A2 start towards point B at the same time, they will arrive at point B one after the other, meaning there will be a time difference Δt between their arrival times. This is because shear wave A1 travels a longer path A1→A2 than shear wave A2 when it reaches point B (since shear waves A1 and A2 travel the same tissue path A2→B, the time they take is the same). In other words, when the shear wave propagates within the tissue along the path A1→A2, the time it takes is Δt. Therefore, knowing the distance between A1 and A2 and the time difference Δt, and then dividing the distance between A1 and A2 by the time Δt, we can calculate the average shear wave velocity in the target area.

[0021] The distance between A1 and A2 can be obtained through real-time measurement or by setting a preset value.

[0022] The time difference Δt between the arrival of shear waves A1 and A2 at point B can be obtained from the echo signal received at point B. For example, please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 2 , Figure 2 This is a typical curve showing the displacement of the tissue at point B over time, obtained from the echo signal received at point B. Since the A2 shear wave only travels through the tissue path A2→B when it reaches the observation point B, while the A1 shear wave also travels through the tissue path A1→A2, the A2 shear wave takes a shorter time to reach point B and attenuates less. Therefore, the first peak in the figure can be determined from the time or the peak amplitude to be the marker of the A2 shear wave reaching point B, and the second peak to be the marker of the A1 shear wave reaching point B. The time difference Δt between the two peaks is the time difference Δt between the A1 and A2 shear waves reaching point B.

[0023] The above discussion assumes that shear waves A1 and A2 are generated simultaneously. Another scenario involves shear waves A1 and A2 being generated sequentially. Specifically, shear wave A1 can be generated before or after shear wave A2. In this case, the concept and principle for calculating the average shear wave velocity in the target area remain the same, except that the difference in the time taken for shear waves A1 and A2 to reach the positions where the echo signals are received differs slightly. For example, we can obtain the time t1 when shear wave A1 is generated and the time t2 when shear wave A2 is generated. Then, based on the curve of the displacement of the tissue at point B over time obtained from the echo signal received at point B, we can obtain the time t3 when shear wave A1 reaches point B (i.e., the time corresponding to the smaller peak in the curve) and the time t4 when shear wave A2 reaches point B (i.e., the time corresponding to the larger peak in the curve). Therefore, the time taken for shear wave A1 to reach point B is t3-t1, and the time taken for shear wave A2 to reach point B is t4-t2. Figure 1 In the case shown, point B is closer to A2. Therefore, the time t3-t1 that the A1 shear wave takes to reach point B must be greater than the time t4-t2 that the A2 shear wave takes to reach point B. Therefore, the difference Δt between the time taken for the A1 shear wave and the A2 shear wave to reach the position where the echo signal is received is (t3-t1)-(t4-t2).

[0024] After obtaining the average shear wave velocity in the target region in the above process, other elastic parameters, such as Young's modulus and shear modulus, can be further calculated. For isotropic elastic bodies, the shear wave propagation velocity and elastic modulus have an approximate relationship as follows:

[0025] E=3ρc 2 =3G

[0026] In the formula, E represents the Young's modulus of the tissue, G represents the shear modulus of the tissue, c represents the shear wave velocity, and ρ represents the tissue density. A larger Young's modulus means a greater tissue stiffness.

[0027] The above is the inventive concept and principle of this embodiment. The present invention will be further described below through several embodiments.

[0028] Please refer to Figure 3 This embodiment discloses a method for measuring shear wave elasticity, which includes steps S11 to S15.

[0029] Step S11: A first shear wave is generated at a first location on the boundary of the target area, and a second shear wave is generated at a second location on the boundary of the target area, wherein the second location is located on the propagation path of the first shear wave. In one embodiment, the second location is different from the first location. In step S11, the first shear wave can be a set of shear waves, and the second shear wave can also be a set of shear waves. Each set of shear waves may include at least one shear wave, and each shear wave in each set may have a corresponding shear wave in the other set, with the source of one of the corresponding shear waves located on the propagation path of the other shear wave. In step S11, when selecting the first and second locations on the boundary of the target area to generate shear waves, there are many selection strategies, such as... Figure 4 (a) and (b), etc. The more tissue within the target area the generated shear wave passes through during propagation, the more information about the tissue within the target area is contained in the echo signal received when the shear wave is tracked and detected by ultrasound at the third location (detailed below), and the more accurate the calculated elastic parameters of the target area become. For example, in calculating the elastic parameters of the target area using this embodiment, we select... Figure 4 (b) Using the two positions A1 and A2 to generate a shear wave will be more effective than... Figure 4 (a) is superior. Therefore, in one embodiment, in step S11, a set of shear waves is generated at the two locations with the greatest distance on the boundary of the target area, that is, the selected first location and the second location have the greatest distance on the boundary of the target area.

[0030] In one embodiment, the first position includes a target point, and the second position also includes a target point. Accordingly, the first shear wave includes a shear wave located at the target point in the first position, and the second shear wave includes a shear wave located at the target point in the second position. In another embodiment, the first position includes multiple target points, and the second position also includes multiple target points. Accordingly, the first shear wave includes multiple shear waves located at each target point in the first position, and the second shear wave includes multiple shear waves located at each target point in the second position. The multiple first shear waves propagate through the multiple target points in the second position to the third position described below. In this case, the third position may include multiple detection points, each detection point corresponding to a pair of corresponding first and second shear waves. For each pair of corresponding shear waves, the first shear wave propagates through the target point corresponding to the second shear wave in the second position to the detection point corresponding to the pair of shear waves. Accordingly, in step S13 described below, the probe may emit ultrasonic waves toward the detection point and receive ultrasonic echoes to detect the pair of shear waves passing through the detection point.

[0031] In one embodiment, when the first position includes multiple target points, the multiple target points can be arranged to form a straight line or other shape. When the second position includes multiple target points, the multiple target points can also be arranged to form a straight line or other shape.

[0032] In step S11, as described above, the first shear wave and the second shear wave can be generated by the probe emitting a focused ultrasonic beam into the tissue, which is pushed by the acoustic radiation force of the ultrasonic beam.

[0033] In one embodiment, the first shear wave and the second shear wave are generated simultaneously, which simplifies subsequent calculations. Alternatively, the first shear wave and the second shear wave can be generated at different times.

[0034] Step S13: Emit ultrasonic waves to a third location to detect each corresponding pair of first and second shear waves, and receive the echo of the ultrasonic waves to obtain an echo signal. Here, the third location is outside the target area, and the first shear wave propagates through the second location to the third location. The echo signal contains information about the passage of the first and second shear waves through the third location, such as time-related information about the passage of the first and second shear waves through the third location.

[0035] Step S15: For each pair of corresponding shear waves, obtain the elastic parameters corresponding to the target area based on the echo signal obtained in step S13.

[0036] For example, in one specific embodiment, step S15 may include: obtaining the time when the first shear wave reaches the third position and the time when the second shear wave reaches the third position based on the echo signal, and obtaining the elasticity parameter of the target area based on the time when the first shear wave reaches the third position, the time when the second shear wave reaches the third position, and the distance between the first and second positions. For example, based on the time when the first and second shear waves reach the third position, the time difference between the arrival of the corresponding shear waves at the third position can be obtained; then, based on the time difference and the distance between the first and second positions, the elasticity parameter corresponding to the target area can be obtained. In one embodiment, the echo signal can be analyzed as a curve of change over time; according to the curve, the peak value can be considered as the time when the two corresponding shear waves reach the third position, and the time interval between two adjacent peak values ​​is the time difference between the arrival of the two shear waves at the third position.

[0037] In one embodiment, if the first position and the second position each include multiple target points—in other words, if multiple pairs of corresponding shear waves are generated in step S11—then the elastic parameters of the target region can be calculated based on each pair of corresponding shear waves, and then these elastic parameters can be averaged. This results in an average elastic parameter of the target region that more accurately represents the elastic parameters of the target region. In one embodiment, the elastic parameters include one or more of the average shear wave velocity, Young's modulus, and shear modulus, or other elastic parameters.

[0038] The above is the shear wave elasticity measurement method disclosed in this embodiment. To increase ease of use, in one embodiment, the shear wave elasticity measurement method may further include: emitting an ultrasonic beam toward a target area, receiving ultrasonic echoes from the target area, and obtaining an echo signal for forming an ultrasonic image; generating and displaying an ultrasonic image based on the ultrasonic echoes; obtaining a selection instruction from a user to select a target area on the ultrasonic image, and then determining the aforementioned first position and second position based on the selection instruction. In one embodiment, the aforementioned elastic parameters can be superimposed on the ultrasonic image; specifically, the elastic parameters can be displayed via text or icons, and the displayed elastic parameters are updated accordingly when the target area changes.

[0039] Please refer to Figure 5 The present invention also discloses a shear wave elastography system. In one embodiment, the shear wave elastography system includes a probe 11, a transmit controller 13, a receive controller 12, and an image processor 15. In another embodiment, it may also include a display unit 17.

[0040] The probe 11 includes an array of piezoelectric elements and can be used to emit focused ultrasound waves into tissue to generate shear waves at specific locations within the tissue, and to emit ultrasound waves into specific locations within the tissue to track or detect the propagation of the shear waves.

[0041] The transmitter controller 13 can control the timing of shear wave generation and the timing of ultrasonic beam transmission and reception. Specifically, the transmitter controller 13 can control the probe 11 to emit focused ultrasonic waves at a first position on the edge of the target area, thereby generating a first shear wave at the first position on the boundary of the target area through the acoustic radiation force of the focused ultrasonic waves. The transmitter controller 13 can also control the probe 11 to emit focused ultrasonic waves at a second position on the edge of the target area, thereby generating a second shear wave at the second position on the boundary of the target area through the acoustic radiation force of the focused ultrasonic waves. Here, the second position can be located on the propagation path of the aforementioned first shear wave.

[0042] Here, the first shear wave can be a set of shear waves, and the second shear wave can also be a set of shear waves. Each set of shear waves can include at least one shear wave, and each shear wave in each set of shear waves can have a corresponding shear wave in another set of shear waves, where the source of one of the two corresponding shear waves is located on the propagation path of the other shear wave.

[0043] For each pair of corresponding shear waves, the transmitting controller 13 can control the probe 11 to emit ultrasonic waves towards a third position to detect each pair of corresponding first and second shear waves. The receiving controller 12 can control the probe to receive the echo of the ultrasonic waves to obtain an echo signal. Here, the third position is located outside the target area, and the first shear wave propagates to the third position via the second position. The echo signal contains information about the passage of the first and second shear waves through the third position, such as time-related information about the passage of the first and second shear waves through the third position.

[0044] In one embodiment, the transmission controller 13 controls the probe 11 to generate the aforementioned second shear wave at a second position different from the first position; in another embodiment, the distance between the first position and the second position on the boundary of the target area is the greatest.

[0045] In one embodiment, the first position includes a target point, and the second position also includes a target point. Accordingly, the first shear wave includes a shear wave located at the target point in the first position, and the second shear wave includes a shear wave located at the target point in the second position. In another embodiment, the first position includes multiple target points, and the second position also includes multiple target points. Accordingly, the first shear wave includes multiple shear waves located at each target point in the first position, and the second shear wave includes multiple shear waves located at each target point in the second position. The multiple first shear waves propagate through the multiple target points in the second position to the third position. In this case, the third position may include multiple detection points, each detection point corresponding to a pair of corresponding first and second shear waves. For each pair of corresponding shear waves, the first shear wave propagates through the target point in the second position corresponding to the second shear wave to the detection point corresponding to the pair of shear waves. Accordingly, the transmitting controller 13 can control the probe 11 to emit ultrasonic waves toward the detection point to detect the pair of shear waves passing through the detection point. The receiving controller 12 can control the probe 11 to receive the echo of the ultrasonic wave to obtain an echo signal. The echo signal contains information about the first and second shear waves passing through the detection point.

[0046] In one embodiment, when the first position includes multiple target points, the multiple target points can be arranged to form a straight line or other shape. When the second position includes multiple target points, the multiple target points can also be arranged to form a straight line or other shape.

[0047] As mentioned above, the first shear wave and the second shear wave can be generated by the transmitter controller 13 controlling the probe 11 to emit a focused ultrasonic beam into the tissue, which is generated by the acoustic radiation force of the ultrasonic beam pushing the tissue.

[0048] In one embodiment, the transmitter controller 13 controls the probe 11 to simultaneously generate a first shear wave and a second shear wave, which simplifies subsequent calculations. Alternatively, the transmitter controller 13 can also control the probe 11 to generate the first and second shear waves at different times.

[0049] The image processor 15 can obtain the elastic parameters of the target region for each pair of corresponding shear waves based on the echo signals obtained above.

[0050] In one embodiment, the elastic parameters obtained by the image processor 15 may include one or more of the mean shear wave velocity, Young's modulus, and shear modulus, or other elastic parameters.

[0051] In one embodiment, the image processor 15 can obtain the time when the first shear wave reaches the third position and the time when the second shear wave reaches the third position based on the echo signal, and obtain the elasticity parameter of the target region based on the time when the first shear wave reaches the third position, the time when the second shear wave reaches the third position, and the distance between the first and second positions. For example, based on the time when the first and second shear waves reach the third position, the time difference between the arrival of the corresponding shear waves at the third position can be obtained; then, based on the time difference and the distance between the first and second positions, the elasticity parameter corresponding to the target region can be obtained. In one embodiment, the echo signal can be analyzed as a function of time; according to the curve, the peak value can be considered as the time when the two corresponding shear waves reach the third position, and the time interval between two adjacent peak values ​​is the time difference between the arrival of the two shear waves at the third position.

[0052] Display unit 17 is used to display the elastic parameters. In one specific embodiment, the transmit controller 13 further controls the probe 11 to emit an ultrasonic beam toward the target area, and the receive controller 12 further controls the probe 11 to receive the ultrasonic echo from the ultrasonic beam in the target area, thereby obtaining an echo signal for forming an ultrasonic image. The image processor 15 can also obtain an ultrasonic image of the target area based on the echo signal for forming the ultrasonic image. The ultrasonic image can be displayed on display unit 17, and the aforementioned elastic parameters can be displayed on the ultrasonic image. In one embodiment, display unit 17 can display the aforementioned elastic parameters using text or icons, and the displayed elastic parameters are updated as the target area changes.

[0053] To improve the ease of use of the shear wave elastic imaging system, please refer to... Figure 6 In one embodiment, the shear wave elastography system may further include an instruction acquisition unit 19, which is used to acquire a selection instruction from a user to select the target area on an ultrasound image, and determine the first position and the second position according to the selection instruction. Then, the transmission controller 13 can control the control probe 11 to emit a focused ultrasound beam to generate a first shear wave and a second shear wave at the first position and the second position, respectively, according to the determined first position and the second position.

[0054] The above describes the shear wave elasticity measurement method and shear wave elasticity imaging system disclosed in this embodiment. Since for each pair of corresponding shear waves, the echo signal can be obtained only at the third position for a continuous period of time, and the elastic parameters corresponding to the target area can be obtained based on the echo signal for that continuous period of time, not only are fewer positions required for obtaining the echo signal, but also the total amount of echo signal data to be obtained is less, and the calculation method is also simple, which greatly reduces the performance requirements of the system.

[0055] This document describes various exemplary embodiments with reference to them. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that changes and modifications can be made to the exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope of this document. For example, various operational steps and components for performing operational steps can be implemented in different ways depending on the specific application or considering any number of cost functions associated with the operation of the system (e.g., one or more steps can be deleted, modified, or combined with other steps).

[0056] Furthermore, as those skilled in the art will understand, the principles herein can be reflected in a computer program product on a computer-readable storage medium pre-loaded with computer-readable program code. Any tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be used, including magnetic storage devices (hard disks, floppy disks, etc.), optical storage devices (CD-ROMs, DVDs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), flash memory, and / or the like. These computer program instructions may be loaded onto a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to form a machine, such that instructions, which execute on the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, can generate means for performing a specified function. These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can instruct the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to operate in a particular manner, such that instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium can form an article of manufacture, including means for implementing the specified function. The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to perform a series of operational steps on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process, such that instructions, which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus, can provide steps for implementing the specified function.

[0057] While the principles herein have been illustrated in various embodiments, numerous modifications to the structure, arrangement, proportions, elements, materials, and components, particularly suited to specific environmental and operational requirements, may be used without departing from the principles and scope of this disclosure. These modifications and other alterations or alterations will be included within the scope of this document.

[0058] The foregoing specific descriptions have been described with reference to various embodiments. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Therefore, considerations for this disclosure are to be illustrative rather than restrictive, and all such modifications are to be included within its scope. Similarly, advantages, other advantages, and solutions to problems with respect to various embodiments have been described above. However, benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any elements that produce these, or make them more explicit, should not be construed as critical, essential, or necessary. The term “comprising” and any other variations thereof as used herein are non-exclusive inclusion, meaning that a process, method, article, or apparatus that includes a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed or not part of the process, method, system, article, or apparatus. Furthermore, the term “coupled” and any other variations thereof as used herein refer to physical connections, electrical connections, magnetic connections, optical connections, communication connections, functional connections, and / or any other connections.

[0059] Those skilled in the art will recognize that many changes can be made to the details of the above embodiments without departing from the basic principles of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the invention should be defined only by the following claims.

Claims

1. A method for measuring shear wave elasticity in medical ultrasound elastography, characterized in that, include: A first shear wave is generated at a first location on the boundary of the target area; A second shear wave is generated at a second location on the boundary of the target area, wherein the second location is different from the first location and is located on the propagation path of the first shear wave; the first shear wave and the second shear wave are generated simultaneously or at different times; An ultrasonic wave is emitted to a third location to detect the first shear wave and the second shear wave, and the echo of the ultrasonic wave is received to obtain an echo signal, wherein the third location is located outside the target area and the first shear wave propagates to the third location via the second location; The time when the first shear wave reaches the third position and the time when the second shear wave reaches the third position are obtained based on the echo signal. The elastic parameters of the target region are obtained based on the time it takes for the first shear wave to reach the third position, the time it takes for the second shear wave to reach the third position, and the distance between the first position and the second position.

2. The shear wave elasticity measurement method as described in claim 1, characterized in that: Generating a first shear wave at a first location on the boundary of the target area includes generating a first shear wave at a target point at the first location.

3. The shear wave elasticity measurement method as described in claim 2, characterized in that: Generating a second shear wave at a second location on the boundary of the target area includes generating a second shear wave at a target point at the second location.

4. The shear wave elasticity measurement method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Generating a first shear wave at a first location on the boundary of the target area includes generating multiple first shear waves at multiple target points at the first location.

5. The shear wave elasticity measurement method as described in claim 4, characterized in that: Generating a second shear wave at a second location on the boundary of the target area includes generating a plurality of second shear waves at a plurality of target points at the second location, wherein the plurality of first shear waves propagate through the plurality of target points at the second location to the third location.

6. The shear wave elasticity measurement method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The elastic parameters include one or more of the following: mean shear wave velocity, Young's modulus, and shear modulus.

7. The shear wave elasticity measurement method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: The system emits ultrasonic waves toward a target area and receives ultrasonic echoes from the target area to obtain echo signals used to form an ultrasonic image. An ultrasound image of the target region is generated based on the echo signal used to form the ultrasound image; Display the ultrasound image; The elastic parameters are displayed on the ultrasound image.

8. The shear wave elasticity measurement method as described in claim 7, characterized in that, Also includes: Obtain the user's selection instruction to select the target region on the ultrasound image; The first and second positions are determined according to the selection instructions.

9. A shear wave elastography system for medical ultrasound elastography, characterized in that, include: probe; A transmission controller controls a probe to generate a first shear wave at a first location on the boundary of a target area, and a second shear wave at a second location on the boundary of the target area, wherein the second location is different from the first location and is located on the propagation path of the first shear wave; the transmission controller also controls the probe to emit ultrasonic waves to a third location to detect the first and second shear waves, wherein the third location is outside the target area and the first shear wave propagates through the second location to the third location; The transmitter controller controls the probe to generate the first shear wave and the second shear wave simultaneously or at different times; A receiver controller controls the probe to receive the echo of the ultrasonic wave emitted to the third position, so as to obtain an echo signal; An image processor obtains the time when the first shear wave reaches the third position and the time when the second shear wave reaches the third position based on the echo signal, and obtains the elasticity parameter of the target area based on the time when the first shear wave reaches the third position, the time when the second shear wave reaches the third position, and the distance between the first position and the second position.

10. The shear wave elastic imaging system as described in claim 9, characterized in that: The transmission controller controls the probe to generate a first shear wave at a target point at the first location.

11. The shear wave elastic imaging system as described in claim 10, characterized in that: The transmission controller controls the probe to generate a second shear wave at a target point at the second position.

12. The shear wave elastic imaging system as described in claim 9, characterized in that: The transmission controller controls the probe to generate multiple first shear waves at multiple target points at the first position.

13. The shear wave elastic imaging system as described in claim 12, characterized in that: The transmission controller controls the probe to generate multiple second shear waves at multiple target points at the second position, wherein the multiple first shear waves propagate through the multiple target points at the second position to the third position.

14. The shear wave elastic imaging system as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The elastic parameters obtained by the image processor include one or more of the mean shear wave velocity, Young's modulus, and shear modulus.

15. The shear wave elastic imaging system as described in claim 9, characterized in that, It also includes a display unit, wherein: The transmitting controller also controls the probe to transmit ultrasonic waves toward the target area, and the receiving controller also controls the probe to receive ultrasonic echoes from the target area to obtain echo signals for forming an ultrasonic image. The image processor also generates an ultrasound image of the target region based on the echo signal used to form the ultrasound image; The display unit displays the ultrasound image and shows the elastic parameters on the ultrasound image.

16. The shear wave elastic imaging system as described in claim 15, characterized in that, It also includes an instruction acquisition unit, used to acquire the user's selection instruction on the ultrasound image to select the target area, and to determine the first position and the second position based on the selection instruction.

17. A method for measuring shear wave elasticity in medical ultrasound elastography, characterized in that, include: A first shear wave is generated at a first location on the boundary of the target area; A second shear wave is generated at a second location on the boundary of the target area, wherein the second location is different from the first location and is located on the propagation path of the first shear wave; the first shear wave and the second shear wave are generated simultaneously or at different times; An ultrasonic wave is emitted toward a third location to detect the first shear wave and the second shear wave passing through the third location, and the echo of the ultrasonic wave is received to obtain an echo signal. The echo signal contains information that the first shear wave and the second shear wave have propagated through the third location, wherein the third location is located outside the target area and the first shear wave has propagated through the second location to the third location. The elastic parameters of the target region are obtained based on the echo signal.

18. A shear wave elastography system for medical ultrasound elastography, characterized in that, include: probe; A transmission controller controls a probe to generate a first shear wave at a first location on the boundary of a target area, and a second shear wave at a second location on the boundary of the target area, wherein the second location is different from the first location and is located on the propagation path of the first shear wave; the transmission controller also controls the probe to emit ultrasonic waves toward a third location to detect the first and second shear waves passing through the third location, wherein the third location is outside the target area and the first shear wave propagates through the second location to the third location; The transmitter controller controls the probe to generate the first shear wave and the second shear wave simultaneously or at different times; A receiver controller controls the probe to receive the echo of an ultrasonic wave emitted to the third position to obtain an echo signal, wherein the echo signal contains information about the propagation of the first shear wave and the second shear wave through the third position; An image processor that obtains elastic parameters of the target region based on the echo signal.

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