Ultrasonic Measurement of Small Displacements and Deformations of Tissue

Abstract

A signal processing technique is described for analyzing radio frequency M-mode signals to obtain significantly better depth resolution than previously available. Displacement and deformation waveforms may be measured for displacements less than 0.1 mm and deformations of less than 1 percent. Waveforms of liver dynamics caused by aortic pulsation and vessel diameter variations are presented, and possible tissue characterization applications discussed.