Ultrasonic direct strain estimation using temporal and spatial correlation

摘要

Strain is directly estimated in ultrasound elasticity imaging without computing displacement or resorting to spectral analysis. Conventional ultrasound elasticity imaging relies on calculating displacement and strain is computed from a derivative of the displacement. However, for typical parameter values used in ultrasound elasticity imaging, the displacement can be as large as a hundred times or displacement differences. If a tiny error in the calculation of displacement occurs, this could drastically affect the calculation of strain. By directly estimating strain, image quality is enhanced and the reduction in computational effort facilitates commercialization to aid in diagnosing disease or cancerous conditions.