Transaxial compression technique for sound velocity estimation

US5247937A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• The Board of Regents of the University of Texas System · US

Inventors

• Jonathan Ophir · Austin, US
• Youseph Yazdi · Princeton Junction, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Feb 27, 1992
• Grant date: Sep 28, 1993
• Expiry date: Feb 27, 2012

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01N2291/101
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

An improved ultrasonic pulse-echo method and apparatus that has particular application in estimating sound velocity in organic tissue is disclosed. The method employs a standard transducer or transducer containing device which is translated transaxially, thereby compressing or displacing a proximal region of a target body in small known increments. At each increment, a pulse is emitted and an echo sequence (A-line) is acquired from regions within the target along the sonic travel path or beam of the transducer. Segments of the echo sequence corresponding to a distal region within the target are selected as a reference to estimate the incremental change in echo arrival time. A plot of these arrival time estimates versus the target compression depth is then generated and a least squares linear fit is made. The slope of the linear fit is c.sup.-1, where c is an estimate of the speed of sound in the target.