Systems and methods for tissue characterization using multiple aperture ultrasound
Inventors
Specht, David J. • Smith, David M. • Atmeh, Elias M. • CALL, Josef
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Assignees
Member
MAUI ImagingMAUI Imaging develops ultrasound-based medical imaging solutions designed to overcome the limitations of traditional ultrasound, particularly in visualizing anatomy beyond bone, air, and metal barriers. Founded in 2006, the company has pioneered Computed Echo Tomography (CET) to enable diagnostic imaging in settings where conventional CT or MRI are impractical. With over 160 patents granted and FDA clearance for its K3900 system, MAUI Imaging targets applications in trauma medicine, critical care, neurosurgery, and interventional radiology, aiming to enhance timely diagnostics and interventions in both civilian and military environments.
MAUI Imaging develops ultrasound-based medical imaging solutions designed to overcome the limitations of traditional ultrasound, particularly in visualizing anatomy beyond bone, air, and metal barriers. Founded in 2006, the company has pioneered Computed Echo Tomography (CET) to enable diagnostic imaging in settings where conventional CT or MRI are impractical. With over 160 patents granted and FDA clearance for its K3900 system, MAUI Imaging targets applications in trauma medicine, critical care, neurosurgery, and interventional radiology, aiming to enhance timely diagnostics and interventions in both civilian and military environments.
Publication Number
US-12514551-B2
Publication Date
2026-01-06
Expiration Date
Abstract
Changes in tissue stiffness have long been associated with disease. Systems and methods for determining the stiffness of tissues using ultrasonography may include a device for inducing a propagating shear wave in tissue and tracking the speed of propagation, which is directly related to tissue stiffness and density. The speed of a propagating shear wave may be detected by imaging a tissue at a high frame rate and detecting the propagating wave as a perturbance in successive image frames relative to a baseline image of the tissue in an undisturbed state. In some embodiments, sufficiently high frame rates may be achieved by using a ping-based ultrasound imaging technique in which unfocused omnidirectional pings are transmitted (in an imaging plane or in a hemisphere) into a region of interest. Receiving echoes of the omnidirectional pings with multiple receive apertures allows for substantially improved lateral resolution.
Core Innovation
A method identifies tissue edges with ultrasound imaging by transmitting unfocused ultrasound pulses into a tissue region of interest including one or more tissue edges, receiving echoes of the pulses, and using the received echoes to form images of the tissue region of interest. Speckle noise patterns associated with the one or more tissue edges are identified, and fiducial markers are assigned to the one or more tissue edges.
The approach further includes transmitting a third unfocused ultrasound pulse, receiving echoes of the third unfocused pulse, forming one or more images of the tissue region of interest with the received echoes, and measuring a movement of the fiducial markers in the one or more images. Based on the measured movement, a tissue density of at least one tissue within the tissue region of interest is computed.
Claims Coverage
The document includes one independent claim. The claim covers a full pipeline for tissue edge identification using unfocused pulses, speckle noise pattern association with edges, fiducial assignment to edges, fiducial movement measurement from a third unfocused pulse, and computation of tissue density from the movement.
Edge speckle association with unfocused pulses and fiducial assignment
Transmitting a first unfocused ultrasound pulse and a second unfocused ultrasound pulse into the tissue region of interest including one or more tissue edges; receiving echoes of the first and second unfocused pulses; identifying one or more speckle noise patterns associated with the one or more tissue edges in the received echoes; and assigning fiducial markers to the one or more tissue edges.
Fiducial movement measurement from a third unfocused pulse to compute tissue density
Transmitting a third unfocused ultrasound pulse; receiving echoes of the third unfocused pulse; forming one or more images of the tissue region of interest with the received echoes of the third unfocused pulse; measuring a movement of the fiducial markers in the one or more images; and computing a tissue density of at least one tissue within the tissue region of interest using the movement of the fiducial markers.
Energy and transducer-count relationships among unfocused pulses
The method specifies that the first unfocused ultrasound pulse has greater acoustic energy than the third unfocused ultrasound pulse, and/or that the first unfocused ultrasound pulse is transmitted using more ultrasound transducers than the third unfocused ultrasound pulse.
Speckle noise patterns caused by reflections from tissue edges
The method where the speckle noise patterns are caused by reflections of an unfocused ultrasound pulse from one or more tissue edges.
Distance traveled measurement of fiducial movement
The method where measuring the movement includes determining the distance traveled by fiducial markers in response to the third unfocused ultrasound pulse.
Propagation speed measurement of fiducial movement
The method where measuring the movement includes measuring a propagation speed of fiducial markers in response to a third unfocused ultrasound pulse.
The core coverage is tissue edge identification using speckle noise patterns tied to tissue edges under unfocused ultrasound pulses, fiducial marker assignment to the edges, and tissue density computation based on movement measured from images formed using echoes of a third unfocused pulse, with dependent features narrowing the energy/transducer constraints and specifying movement as distance traveled or propagation speed.
Stated Advantages
Not explicitly described in patent.
Documented Applications
Not explicitly described in patent.
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