Computed Ultrasound Tomography in Echo Mode (cute) for Imaging Speed of Sound Using Pulse-Echo Sonography

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This invention introduces a method and system for high-resolution imaging of the speed of sound within tissues using conventional pulse-echo ultrasound (via handheld probes). By transmitting ultrasound beams at different angles and analyzing the phase shifts in the returning echoes, the system reconstructs spatial maps of local sound speed inside the target (e.g., human tissue) without requiring transmission through the entire object. This approach, termed Computed Ultrasound Tomography in Echo mode (CUTE), is compatible with real-time imaging and addresses a significant limitation in traditional ultrasound tomography, which is restricted to acoustically transparent body parts like the breast.

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• Clinical diagnostics to differentiate between healthy and diseased tissue based on sound speed imaging (e.g., distinguishing tumors from benign tissue, diagnosing liver fibrosis or fatty liver disease).
• Enhanced liver imaging for staging fibrosis, cirrhosis, or identifying fatty liver disease.
• Improved detection and characterization of tumors in soft tissues where standard ultrasound offers low contrast.
• Real-time monitoring and feedback during high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) cancer treatments by tracking temperature-related changes in tissue sound speed.
• Optimizing the contrast and resolution of traditional B-mode ultrasound or photoacoustic imaging by correcting for spatial sound speed variations.
• Ultrasound-guided surgical interventions with improved geometric accuracy, due to correction for tissue-induced aberrations.
• General point-of-care ultrasound imaging where standard transmission mode tomography is not feasible due to bone or air obstructions.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Provides high-contrast, high-resolution imaging of local sound speed inside tissue using standard pulse-echo ultrasound systems, enabling broader clinical use with handheld probes.
• Allows imaging in reflection mode, extending ultrasound tomography to body regions not accessible to transmission-based methods (e.g., liver, abdomen, limbs).
• Facilitates real-time and flexible imaging, suitable for quick point-of-care and emergency diagnostics.
• Enables differentiation between tissue types and disease states with higher specificity (e.g., distinguishing malignant from benign lesions, or identifying fibrotic vs. fatty tissue).
• Improves spatial resolution and contrast of traditional ultrasound images by incorporating accurate local sound speed data, thus allowing better diagnostic insights.
• Permits accurate geometrical corrections for ultrasound images, benefiting applications such as surgical planning and interventions.
• Compatible with existing ultrasound hardware and can be implemented as a software upgrade, making adoption practical and cost-effective.
• Non-invasive and non-ionizing, maintaining the safety advantages of ultrasound modalities.

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Patent Abstract

The invention relates to a method for determining and particularly imaging sound speed in an object by means of pulse-echo ultrasound, comprising the steps of: transmitting by means of an ultrasound probe (1) at least a first ultrasound pulse (10) in a first direction (φ0) and a second ultrasound pulse (20) in a different second direction (φ) into an object (O) to be imaged, so that said first ultrasound pulse (10) is backscattered in said object towards said ultrasound probe in the form of first ultrasound pulse echoes (11), and so that said second ultrasound pulse (20) is backscattered in said object towards said ultrasound probe in the form of second ultrasound pulse echoes (21), detecting said backscattered first ultrasound pulse echoes (11) and said backscattered second ultrasound pulse echoes (21) with said ultrasound probe (1), reconstructing from said detected backscattered first ultrasound pulse echoes (11) a first image of first local echoes (5) and from said detected backscattered second ultrasound pulse echoes (21) a second image of second local echoes (7), wherein said images lie in an image plane spanned by said directions (φ0, φ), determining from said reconstructed images the respective resulting local echo phase shift Δτ(x, z, φ, φ0) corresponding to the difference in echo time (t) between the respective first local echo and the corresponding second local echo relative to the case of an assumed constant sound speed, and determining the local sound speed c(x, z) in said object for at least a region of said image plane in said object from said local echo phase shift Δτ(x, z, φ, φ0). Further, the invention relates to a corresponding computer program and a system.