CLASSIFICATION PREPROCESSING IN MEDICAL ULTRASOUND SHEAR WAVE IMAGING

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide classification processing (30-40) for medical ultrasound shear wave imaging (46).SOLUTION: In response to stress, the displacement at one or more locations in a patient is measured (32). The displacement over time is a curve representing a shift in location. One or more characteristics of the curve, such as signal-to-noise ratio and maximum displacement, are used to classify the location (42). The location is classified as fluid or fluid tissue, solid tissue, or non-determinative. Subsequent shear imaging (46) can provide shear information for locations of solid tissue and not at other locations.