ULTRASONIC ELASTOGRAPHIC STRAIN IMAGING WITH FADE CONTROL

摘要

An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system produces a strain image in which a user can delineate a point or region of reference tissue. A strain ratio image is then produced with points in the image being a ratio of the strain value at the point over a strain value for reference tissue. Strain ratio values in the strain ratio image are color-coded in correspondence with the strain ratio values and a color bar indicates the color coding. Strain ratio values above a range or threshold can be distinctively colored to be easily identifiable. A strain ratio image can be overlaid in anatomical registration with a corresponding B mode image, and one or both images faded back and forth to see the B mode image alone, a solid strain ratio image, or a semi-transparent combination of the two images.