SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR COMPOSITE ELASTOGRAPHY AND WAVE IMAGING

摘要

Systems and methods for composite elastography and wave imaging are presented. In exemplary embodiments of the present invention an imaging modality field of view, such as, for example, that of ultrasound, can be divided into N sectors, each having 1/Nth of a full field of view. In exemplary embodiments of the present invention a temporal series of 2D or 3D ultrasound images for each of the N sectors can be acquired over a duration of one or more periods of a periodic signal. Substantially simultaneously, such a periodic signal can also be acquired, wherein each of said series of 2D ultrasound images for each sector can be triggered or gated using said periodic signal. For example, for ultrasound imaging of the heart, an ECG signal can function as such a periodic signal. The data from the various N sectors can be synchronized in time using the ECG signals, and the ultrasound signals from each of the N sectors combined to generate a series of composite ultrasound images at the frame rate of the individual sectors. In exemplary embodiments of the present invention such a composite image can be further processed to estimate displacement between consecutive frames, remove noise, accumulate displacement with time for an entire cardiac cycle, and derive strain in the cardiac muscle, vessel or any other organ or tissue under motion. In exemplary embodiments of the present invention the derived strain data can be overlaid onto all or part of the composite ultrasound images, and one or more of such overlaid images can be displayed to a user.