Ultrasonic Elasticity Imaging for Deep Lesion Region Quantification
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Shear wave elastography struggles with limited penetration and inaccurate results for large-area and high-hardness lesions due to shear waves being generated at micrometer depths, leading to poor performance in evaluating internal regions of tissue lesions.
Innovation Solution
An ultrasonic elasticity imaging method that separately measures strain and shear wave elasticity results for external and internal regions of lesions using acoustic radiation force impulses and ultrasonic waves, combining these results to determine a quantitative elasticity result for the internal region.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If shear wave elasticity imaging is used to measure elasticity of tissue lesions, then quantitative elasticity information can be obtained, but the penetration depth is limited and measurement accuracy deteriorates for large-area and high-hardness lesions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the lesion into internal region and external region, and separately measures elasticity parameters for each region. The external region serves as a reference with better penetration conditions, while the internal region provides the target measurement. This segmentation allows overcoming the limited penetration depth issue by using the external region's reliable measurements to infer the internal region's properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the external region of the lesion as an intermediary reference. By measuring elasticity parameters in the external region (which has better acoustic access) and combining them with strain information, the system indirectly obtains accurate elasticity information for the internal region without requiring direct shear wave measurement there.
2Measurement precision
If shear waves are generated at micrometer depth to measure tissue elasticity, then local elasticity can be detected, but the propagation is difficult to penetrate large-area and high-hardness lesions
Solution Approach 1:
The external region acts as an intermediary that facilitates shear wave propagation. By generating and detecting shear waves in the external region (which has better acoustic properties and easier wave propagation), the system obtains reliable elasticity information without attempting to penetrate the difficult internal region directly.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces direct mechanical shear wave propagation through the lesion with a combined approach using acoustic radiation force for strain generation and ultrasonic wave detection. This substitution allows indirect measurement of internal region elasticity through external region measurements combined with strain information.
3Measurement precision
If traditional shear wave elastography is applied to focal liver tumors, then elasticity information can be obtained, but the results are inaccurate for the inner region of the lesions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the lesion measurement into two parts: external region measurement (which is accurate and reliable) and internal region inference (which uses the external region data combined with strain information). This segmentation preserves the accuracy of external measurements while recovering the previously lost internal region information through computational inference.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses strain information as feedback to correct and refine the elasticity measurement. By combining the external region's reliable shear wave elasticity measurement with strain data, the system feedback-corrects the internal region elasticity estimation, improving accuracy without requiring direct measurement.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Improves the accuracy and reliability of shear wave elasticity measurements by using accurate strain and shear wave results from external and internal regions, providing precise morphology and boundary presentation of lesions.
Implementation Method 1
transmitting first acoustic radiation force impulses to the external region of the lesion, so as to cause a tissue in the external region of the lesion to generate displacement or strain and generate first shear waves
Implementation Method 2
transmitting first ultrasonic waves at different times to the external region of the lesion for detecting changes in the displacement or strain of the tissue
Implementation Method 3
receiving echoes of the first ultrasonic waves to obtain first ultrasonic echo signals
Implementation Method 4
calculating physical quantities including propagation velocity of the shear waves and Young's modulus for imaging
Data Source
AI summary
The ultrasonic imaging apparatus obtains a first shear wave elasticity result and a first strain elasticity result for the external region of a lesion in the target tissue of an object under examination, and a second strain elasticity result for the internal region of the lesion, and determines a quantitative elasticity result for the internal region of the lesion according to the first shear wave elasticity result, the first strain elasticity result, and the second strain elasticity result. Since the shear wave elasticity result and the strain elasticity result for the external region of the lesion and the strain elasticity result for the internal region of the lesion are accurate, the quantitative elasticity result for the internal region of the lesion calculated from the above results is more accurate than the result obtained by directly measuring the shear wave elasticity of the internal region of the lesion.