Thee-Dimensional Single-Track-Location Shear Wave Elasticity Imaging.

Conventional multiple-track-location shear wave elasticity imaging (MTL-SWEI) is a powerful tool for noninvasively estimating tissue elasticity. The resolution and noise levels of MTL-SWEI systems, however, are limited by ultrasound speckle. Single-track-location SWEI (STL-SWEI) is a novel variant which fixes the position of the tracking beam and modulates the push location to effectively cancel out the effects of speckle-induced bias. We present here a 3-D STL-SWEI system, which provides full suppression of lateral and elevation speckle bias for high-resolution volumetric elasticity imaging, and requires no spatial smoothing to make accurate measurements of shear wave speed. We demonstrate and analyze the system's performance in homogeneous and layered elasticity phantoms.

Duke Scholars

Author Gregg E. Trahey Biomedical Engineering