METHOD OF MEASURING VISCOELASTIC PROPERTIES OF BIOLOGICAL TISSUE EMPLOYING AN ULTRASONIC TRANSDUCER

摘要

The present invention relates to a method of measuring viscoelastic properties of biological tissue employing an ultrasonic transducer (10) provided with elements (12) that convert ultrasonic waves reflected by this biological tissue into electrical signals (14), various elements (12) being grouped together to form sub-apertures (16) such that the acquisition of the electrical signals (14) coming from the elements (12) of any one sub-aperture (16) is carried out simultaneously, even of these sub-apertures (16) being intercepted by an ultrasonic wave propagation axis (15) at an acoustic centre (Ca). According to the invention, such a method is characterized in that one and the same element (12) belongs to at least two different sub-apertures (16) and in that an acoustic centre is surrounded by at least three other unaligned acoustic centres.