Supersonic Imagine

Jacques Souquet

Claude Cohen-Bacrie

David Savery

Jérémy Bercoff

Jeremy Bercoff

Claude Cohen-bacrie

The method includes excitation during which an internal mechanical stress is generated in an excitation zone, and imaging by acquiring signals during movements generated by the mechanical stress in the visco-elastic medium in response to the internal mechanical stress in an. imaging zone that includes the excitation zone. The method further includes calculating a quantitative index associated with the rheological properties of the visco-elastic medium at least at one point of the imaging zone situated at a given depth outside the excitation zone. The quantitative index is representative of a comparison between signals acquired during the movements generated in response to the mechanical stress at least at one point of the excitation zone situated at the given depth, and signals acquired during the movements generated in response to the mechanical stress at at least the point of the imaging zone situated outside the excitation zone.

Method and a device for imaging a visco-elastic medium

The invention relates to a method and a device for imaging a visco-elastic medium (). The method comprises an excitation step during which an internal mechanical stress is generated in an excitation zone [A] and an imaging step of acquiring signals during the movements generated by the mechanical stress in the visco-elastic medium () in response to the internal mechanical stress in an imaging zone [B] that includes the excitation zone [A]. According to the invention, the method further comprises a step of calculating a quantitative index [Cij] associated with the rheological properties of the visco-elastic medium () at at least one point [Bij] of the imaging zone situated at a given depth outside the excitation zone [A].

The invention relates to an ultrasonic imaging probe for imaging a medium (), comprising two types of transducers, characterized in that the first type of transducer(s) () is dedicated to ultrasonic imaging of the medium (), and the second type of transducer(s) () is dedicated to generating a stress producing at least one transient modification of the imaged medium (), both types of transducer(s) () being able to operate at least in a so-called coupled mode where the first type of transducer(s) () operates in a synchronized way with the second type of transducer(s) () so as to image the time course of the transient modification of the medium ().

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Puyricard, France

Jacques Souquet