Sonoelastography using Compensated Power Doppler

Sonoelastography is the visualisation of elastic properties using ultrasound. It can enable tumours to be detected and localised based on their elasticity when they are less elastic than the surrounding soft tissue. In vibration sonoelastography the target tissues are vibrated while simultaneously recording ultrasound images. A technique for imaging relative elastic properties is proposed that uses a standard ultrasound machine. It combines B-scan and power Doppler signals to produce images of relative vibration amplitude. Preliminary results using simulations and liver phantoms are presented and the potential of the method to highlight areas of differing elasticity within an organ such as the breast is mentioned. The possibility of combining such a method with freehand 3D scanning, enabling B-scan and power Doppler signals to simultaneously populate a voxel array for subsequent visualisation is discussed.