Time Steps Expandable Inverse Model for Ultrasound Shear Wave Elastography Imaging

Abstract

Abstract Ultrasound shear wave elastography is an noninvasive imaging technique developed in the last two decades for clinical diagnosis. Commercialized tools perform imaging by measuring tissue elasticity. Consequently, pathological diagnosis can be ineffective owing to a lack of viscocity. Accurately imaging complete viscoelasticity is challenging for ultrasound shear wave elastography because it induces high underdetermination level of the inverse problem. In this paper, a time steps expandable inverse model is developed and used as a regularization method for ultrasound shear wave elastography. With this model, our numerical results demonstrate that ultrasound shear wave elastography is able to image viscoelasticity with measurement noises. The model has potential to enable wider clinical diagnosis for ultrasound shear wave elastography.