• 专利附录
  • 专利说明
  • 权利要求
  • 类似技术
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    • 专利摘要:
    A method of characterizing an anisotropic soft medium (C) having fibers and having an outer surface (1), observing, in different propagation directions, the propagation of a diverging shear wave from a central zone ( 10) in the anisotropic soft medium. A propagation parameter of the shear wave is deduced in each of the propagation directions, then a direction of the fibers of the anisotropic soft medium is determined, a rheological parameter of elasticity in a direction perpendicular to the fibers, and a rheological parameter of elasticity in the direction of the fibers.
    公开号:FR3017041A1
    申请号:FR1400265
    申请日:2014-01-31
    公开日:2015-08-07
    发明作者:Mickael Tanter；Mathieu Pernot；Mathias Fink；Jean Luc Gennisson
    申请人:Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique CNRS；Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale INSERM；
    IPC主号:
    专利说明:

    [0001] FIELD OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to methods and devices for characterizing anisotropic soft media, and to ultrasonic probe assemblies for anisotropic soft medium, and to ultrasonic probe assemblies. such characterization devices.
    [0002] BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It has already been proposed to characterize anisotropic soft media comprising fibers, such as skeletal or myocardial muscles, by imaging the propagation of shear waves in these media. More particularly, it has been proposed to measure the value of the shear modulus of these media along the fibers and perpendicular to the fibers, by successively propagating shear waves in the medium and by imaging their propagation each time in a different direction. , thanks to an ultrasonic transducer array that is rotated a few degrees between two shear wave emissions (WN Lee, M. Pernot, M. Couade, E. Messas, P. Bruneval, A Bel, AA Hagenge, M. Fink, and M. Tanter, "Noninvasive Assessment of Myocardial Anisotropy Using Echocardiography-Based Shear Wave Imaging," IEEE Trans Med Imaging, 31, 554562, 2012.). The propagation speed of the shear waves in each direction is thus determined. By decomposing rate measurements into singular values, both the fiber direction and the shear moduli can be obtained along the fibers and perpendicular to the fibers, as taught by Lee et al. (NL Lee, B. Larrat, M. Pernot, and M. Tanter, "Ultrasound Elastic Tensor Imaging: Comparison with MR Diffusion Tensor Imaging in the Myocardium," Physics in Medicine and Biology, 57, pp. 5075-5095, 2012). These known methods, however, have the disadvantage of being relatively slow to implement. As a result, they do not notably allow a characterization of mobile fibrous media such as the myocardium of a patient or the skeletal muscle of a patient. OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is intended to overcome these disadvantages. For this purpose, the invention provides a method of characterizing an anisotropic soft medium comprising at least a portion comprising fibers and having an outer surface, said method comprising the following steps: (a) a measuring step during which generates at least one shear wave which propagates diverging from a central zone in the anisotropic soft medium and is observed with ultrasonic observation transducers from the anisotropic soft medium surface. said at least one shear wave in a plurality of predetermined propagation directions from said central zone, keeping the ultrasonic observation transducers 25 fixed, said predetermined propagation directions comprising at least two directions forming an angle other than 0 degrees between them; and different from 180 degrees, said ultrasonic observation transducers being arranged at the oins according to said predetermined propagation directions and said measuring step being performed in a time less than 50 ms; (b) at least one calculation step in which from at least one propagation parameter of the shear wave in each of said directions is determined from data collected during measurement step (a); predetermined propagation; (c) a characterization step in which, from said at least one propagation parameter of the shear wave determined in each of the propagation directions at the calculation step (b), at least one rheological characteristic of the anisotropic soft medium, selected from an anisotropic soft medium fiber direction, a rheological elasticity parameter in a direction perpendicular to the fibers, and a rheological parameter of elasticity in the direction of the fibers. Thanks to these arrangements, instantaneous access to fiber direction and / or elasticity parameters can be achieved without having to turn the measuring probe and thus in vivo measurements can be made easily. In various embodiments of the method according to the invention, one or more of the following provisions may also be used: the rheological parameters of elasticity determined during the step of characterization (c) are moduli of elasticity; during the measuring step (a), the shear wave is generated over a certain range of depths in the anisotropic soft medium and the propagation of the at least one shear wave at different depths is observed; within said range of depths, during the calculation step (b), said at least one shear wave propagation parameter is determined in each of said predetermined propagation directions (P) at said different depths, and during the characterization step (c), determining said at least one rheological characteristic at said different depths; During the measuring step (a), the predetermined propagation directions in which the propagation of the shear wave is observed are in the range of from 3 to 20, advantageously from 5 to 10; during the measurement step (a), the propagation of the at least one shear wave is observed simultaneously in all said predetermined propagation directions, with all the ultrasonic observation transducers at the same time; during the measuring step (a), several shear waves are successively emitted and the propagation of each shear wave is observed successively in at least one of said predetermined propagation directions, with part of the ultrasonic observation transducers ; during the measuring step (a), the passage of the shear wave is detected at predetermined measuring points arranged respectively according to said predetermined propagation directions, and during the calculation step (b) the propagation parameter of the determined shear wave is a parameter representative of either a propagation velocity of the shear wave or a flight time of the shear wave from the central zone; the shear wave is generated from a central axis perpendicular to the surface of the anisotropic soft medium and said measurement points where the passage of the shear wave are detected, are each located at a distance from said lower central axis at 2 cm, advantageously less than 0.5 cm; during the measuring step (a), the passage of the shear wave is detected by emission of compressional acoustic waves at said measurement points predetermined by said ultrasonic observation transducers, at a rate of at least 300 ultrasonic compression wave shots per second, ultrasonic signals reverberated by the anisotropic soft medium are sensed by said ultrasonic observation transducers, and internal displacements (absolute displacements or deformations or velocities) are thus determined. or deforming) from said anisotropic soft medium to the passage of the shear wave at said predetermined measuring points; during measurement step (a), a single observation ultrasonic transducer is used per measuring point; during the measuring step (a), the shear wave is generated by sending, by an ultrasound transducer of excitation which carries said ultrasonic transducer of observation, an ultrasonic wave of excitation focused on the zone central, which displaces the anisotropic soft medium along said central axis; during the characterization step (c), determining said at least one rheological characteristic determining an elastic tensor corresponding to the singular values the values of the propagation parameter in the various predetermined propagation directions, then decomposing this elastic tensor; in singular values; during the measurement step (a), the shear wave is generated from a central axis and during the characterization step (c), interpolation is determined as a function of the values of propagation parameter calculated in the calculation step (b) in said predetermined propagation directions, a substantially ellipsoidal curve C (V (0) .cose, V (0) .sine) where V (0) is the value of the propagation parameter in a plane perpendicular to said central axis and 0 is an angle denoting the direction of propagation in said plane relative to a reference belonging to said plane, the direction of the fibers corresponding to an angle e0 corresponding to the maximum of v (e) the rheological parameter of elasticity in the direction of the fibers being determined as a function of V (00) and the rheological parameter of elasticity in the direction perpendicular to the fibers being determined as a function of V (eo + n / 2); the anisotropic soft medium comprises at least a part of a human or animal muscle in operation and the method comprises several measurement steps (a), calculation (b) and characterization (c), from which a physiological parameter related to the contraction of the muscle. Furthermore, another object of the invention is a device for characterizing an anisotropic soft medium having at least one part comprising fibers and having an outer surface, this characterization device comprising an electronic control device which controls a probe. excitation and ultrasound transducers of observation, the excitation probe being adapted to generate a shear wave in the anisotropic soft medium from a central zone and the ultrasonic observation transducers being arranged in several directions of propagation predetermined directions from said central zone, said predetermined propagation directions comprising at least two directions forming between them an angle different from 0 degrees and different from 180 degrees, the electronic control device being adapted for, when the excitation probe and ultrasonic observation transducers are provided On the surface of the anisotropic soft medium: (a) cause the excitation probe to generate at least one shear wave adapted to propagate diverging from the central zone into the anisotropic soft medium and to observe by the ultrasonic transducers for observing, in a total observation time of less than 50 ms, propagation of the shear wave in said predetermined propagation directions from said central zone; (b) determining, from data collected by the ultrasonic observation transducers, at least one propagation parameter of the shear wave simultaneously in each of said predetermined propagation directions; (c) determining, from said at least one propagation parameter of the shear wave in each of the predetermined propagation directions, at least one rheological characteristic of the anisotropic soft medium selected from a direction of the anisotropic soft medium fibers, a rheological parameter of elasticity in a direction perpendicular to the fibers and a rheological parameter of elasticity in the direction of the fibers. In various embodiments of the characterization device according to the invention, it may optionally be furthermore resorted to and / or at the other of the following arrangements: said ultrasonic observation transducers being in a number of between 3 and 20, advantageously between 5 and 10; the electronic control device is adapted to detect the passage of the shear wave opposite each ultrasonic observation transducer and the propagation parameter of the shear wave, determined by the central unit, is a representative parameter either a propagation velocity of the shear wave, that is, a flight time of the shear wave; the electronic control device is adapted to detect the passage of the shear wave: by causing the ultrasonic observation transducers to emit acoustic waves of compression at a rate of at least 300 ultrasonic wave shots of compression per second, by sensing ultrasonic signals reverberated by the anisotropic soft medium by the ultrasonic observation transducers, and thus determining internal displacements of said anisotropic soft medium at the passage of the shear wave opposite said transducers ultrasound observers; the excitation probe is a substantially disk-shaped ultrasound transducer which carries the ultrasonic observation transducers. Finally, another object of the invention is an ultrasonic probe assembly for a device as defined above, comprising a substantially disk-shaped excitation ultrasound transducer adapted to emit an ultrasonic compression wave along a central axis. in order to move the anisotropic soft medium along said central axis by radiation pressure and thereby propagate in the medium a diverging shear wave from said central axis, said ultrasonic excitation transducer carrying ultrasonic observation transducers respectively distributed in different propagation directions diverging from said central axis and disposed at a distance less than cm from said central axis, said propagation directions comprising at least two directions forming between them an angle different from 0 degrees and different from 180 degrees. Advantageously, the ultrasonic observation transducers are equidistributed on a circle centered on the central axis, each ultrasonic observation transducer being adapted to emit compression waves in the form of a beam parallel to the central axis. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of one of its embodiments, given by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings: - Figure 1 is a sectional view illustrating the implementation of a characterization method according to one embodiment of the invention; - Figure 2 is a plan view of a probe assembly. FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a characterization device to which the ultrasonic probe assembly of FIG. 2 belongs. DESCRIPTION DETAILED DESCRIPTION In the different figures, the same references designate elements of FIG. identical or similar. As shown diagrammatically in FIGS. 1 and 2, the purpose of the invention is to characterize an anisotropic soft medium such as a part of a human or animal body C, especially a living body, comprising at least one part 3 comprising fibers and With an outer surface 1. For example, the outer surface may be the skin of human or animal, and part 3 may be a part of the heart, especially the myocardium, or skeletal muscle. Part 3 may optionally be separated from the outer surface 1 by non-fibrous tissues 2. This characterization is carried out by means of a probe assembly 4 comprising an excitation probe 5 and observation probes 6. The probe excitation circuit 5 may in particular be a substantially disk-shaped or cup-shaped excitation ultrasound transducer having a central axis Z disposed in the direction of the depth of the C anisotropic soft medium when the excitation probe is in use. This excitation probe 5 optionally comprises a concave face intended to be applied against the outer surface 1, generally with filling of the concavity of this face with a gel 8 conventionally used in ultrasound. The excitation probe 5 is adapted to emit an ultrasonic compression wave 9 into the anisotropic soft medium C along said central axis Z, the focal spot of which is in a central zone 10 extending for a few centimeters along the axis. central Z (for example 1 to 6 cm) and having a width of a few millimeters perpendicularly to the central axis Z (for example to 0.2 to 3 mm). The position and length of the focal spot 10 along the central axis Z are designed so that statistically, when the excitation probe is disposed against the outer surface 1, the focal spot is normally at least partially in the portion fibrous 3 to be characterized for the human beings or animals examined. Thus, for the characterization of the myocardium in humans, the focal spot 10 begins for example at a depth z of 2 to 4 cm and ends for example at a depth z of 5 to 10 cm. The excitation probe 5 may have, for example, a radius R less than 3 cm, advantageously less than 2 cm.
    [0003] The observation probes 6 may be in a number greater than or equal to 2, advantageously greater than or equal to 3, for example between 3 and 20, advantageously between 5 and 10. These observation probes are 8 in number. example shown.
    [0004] The observation probes 6 are distributed around the central axis Z, respectively in correspondence with different propagation directions P diverging with respect to said central axis Z. In all cases, the propagation directions P comprise at least two directions of propagation. which form between them an angle different from 0 degrees and different from 180 degrees. The observation probes (6) may be disposed at a distance less than 2 cm from said central axis Z, for example less than 0.5 cm. The observation probes 6 may be advantageously equilax on a circle centered on the central axis Z. In the following, we will find the divergent directions of propagation P in an orthonormal coordinate system X, Y in a plane perpendicular to the central axis Z, by their angle 6 with respect to the axis X.
    [0005] The observation probes 6 may each be an ultrasonic observation transducer or possibly a group of ultrasonic observation transducers, of the type conventionally used in medical imaging, focussed at relatively great distance parallel to the central axis Z so as to emit each an ultrasonic compression wave forming a beam 12 parallel to the axis Z. Advantageously, each observation probe 6 is formed by a single ultrasonic observation transducer. The ultrasonic observation transducers 6 may be shaped as strips extending radially with respect to the Z axis and having a certain concavity towards the medium C, so that the focal spot 12a of each ultrasonic observation transducer 6 is located at the same depth as the focal spot 10 in the medium C, and so that this focal spot 12a has a small dimension in the radial direction with respect to the aXe Z, for example of the order of 0.1 to 2 mm and a larger dimension, of the order of a few millimeters, in the orthoradial direction. The focal spots 12a corresponding to the different ultrasonic observation transducers are preferably separated from each other. Advantageously, the observation probes 6 are carried by the excitation probe 5, and may for example be included in recesses formed in the thickness of the excitation probe 5. The excitation probes 5 and the probes observation 6 communicate with a control device, for example by means of a multifilar cable 7. As shown in FIG. 3, this control device may comprise a computer 19 or the like communicating with a specific electronic box 20, itself connected to the probe assembly 4 by the cable 7. It will be noted that the control device It could possibly be a single device incorporating all the functionalities of the control unit 20 and the computer 19. In the example shown, the control unit 20 can comprise as many channels as there are transducers, for example 9 channels, respectively connected to the excitation probe 5 (TO) and observation probes 6 (T1-T8). Each of these channels may comprise an analog-to-digital converter (A / D0-AD8) associated with a buffer memory 15A (BO-B8) and communicating with an electronic central unit 16 (CPU) such as a microprocessor or the like, which itself can communicate for example with a memory 17 (MEM) and a signal processing circuit 18 (DSP), as well as with the computer 19. The electronic central unit 16 can optionally communicate further with a device electrocardiogram 14 (ECG). The device which has just been described operates as follows. (a) Measurement step When a user wishes to characterize the fibrous portion 3 of the medium C, he applies the probe assembly 4 to the skin 1 as previously explained and starts a measuring step (a) in which the The electronic central unit 16 first emits an ultrasound wave focused by the excitation probe 5 for a short time, to generate a movement of the tissue along the Z axis by wave pressure effect, for example on the general principle explained in W02004 / 021038. This shear wave 11 propagates substantially radially with respect to the Z axis (see FIG. 1) and during this propagation, the electronic central unit 16 observes the medium C simultaneously by all the observation probes 6, to observe propagation of the shear wave 11. For this purpose, the electronic central unit 16 causes all the observation probes 6 to emit simultaneously, at a fast rate (for example 300 shots per second or more), ultrasonic waves of compression and said observation probe 6 capture the ultrasound signals reverberated by the tissue 3, as explained in particular in the documents W000 / 55616 and WO2004 / 021038, and these signals are stored first in the buffers 15a and then in the memory 17 This measurement step lasts, for example, a few milliseconds. Optionally, the electronics box 20 could have fewer channels than transducers. For example, the electronic unit 20 could comprise a channel A / D0 - BO for the ultrasound excitation transducer 5 and a channel A / D1 - B1 successively connected to the different ultrasound observation transducers 6 by a switching device (not shown ). In this case, the measuring step (a) comprises several successive shear wave transmissions each followed by the observation of its propagation by one of the observation probes 6, the process being repeated for each probe of observation 6. Even in this case, the measuring step is very short, less than 50 ms. (b) Calculation step In a subsequent calculation step (b), carried out in real time or delayed, the reverberant signals stored by the electronic central unit 16 or the computer 19 are operated. During this processing said signals are used to determine internal movements or deformations of the tissues 3 over time with respect to each observation probe 6, for example by correlation calculations on the signals picked up, as explained in particular in the documents W000 / 55616 and WO2004 / 021038. It is thus possible to locate the passage of the elastic shear wave opposite each observation probe 6, and at each depth in the tissues 3. For example, the passage of the shear wave can thus be spotted. at a predetermined number of depths in the tissues 3, for example between 10 and 30 depths, for example millimeters in millimeters. The electronic central unit 16 or the computer 19 then determines, at each depth, the flight time t of the shear wave between the excitation probe 5 and each observation probe 6, or another representative parameter. flight time, or another propagation datum representative of the propagation of the shear wave, and deduces therefrom the propagation velocity V of the shear wave at the depth considered in the radial direction P corresponding to each observation probe 6. (c) Characterization step: It is then possible to determine at least one rheological characteristic of the medium 3, chosen from a fiber direction, a rheological parameter of elasticity (in particular modulus of elasticity) in one direction Perpendicular to the fibers and a rheological parameter of elasticity (in particular modulus of elasticity) in the direction of the fibers. Advantageously, these rheological characteristics are determined at the same time. Said rheological characteristics can be determined by various methods, for example by interpolation or more preferably by singular value decomposition. 1. Interpolation In this method, a substantially ellipsoidal curve C (V (0) .cose is determined by interpolation, as a function of the values of the propagation velocity calculated in the calculation step (b) in each propagation direction P. , V (e) .sine) where V (0) is the value of the propagation parameter in the X, Y plane. The direction of the fibers corresponds to an angle e0 corresponding to the maximum of v (e), the rheological parameter of elasticity in the direction of the fibers is then determined as a function of V (e0) and the rheological parameter of elasticity in the direction perpendicular to the fibers being determined as a function of V (e0 + 1-1 / 2). For example, when these parameters are moduli of elasticity Epar parallel to the fibers and Eperp perpendicular to the fibers, these moduli of elasticity can be determined by the formulas the formula II V (90) = Eparet V (00 + 7r12) = iEperp where p is the density of 3p 3p medium 3. 2. Decomposition in singular values In this method, the elastic tensor of propagation of the ultrasonic wave is first determined at each depth, from the measured propagation velocities. in the middle 3. This tensor is a matrix M here of rank 2 since the propagation is done only in the plane X, Y: = [Exx, Exyl NI, where the components E are modules Exy, Eyy of elasticity. This elastic tensor is defined in particular by Royer and Dieulesaint (2000), Elastic Waves in Solids I: Free and Guided Propagation (Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg).
    [0006] As explained in the article Lee et al. mentioned above (NL Lee, B. Larrat, M. Pernot, and M. Tanter, "Ultrasound Elastic Tensor Imaging: Comparison with MR Diffusion Tensor Imaging in the Myocardium," Physics in Medicine and Biology, 57, pp. 5075-5095, 2012), the tensor M can be determined from the velocities v (e) determined in the calculation step (b), solving the equation: pV (01) 2- COS201 2cosO1sin61 sin201Exy E xy (1) pV (0 N) 2 cos 2 ON 2 cos ON sin ON sin 2 ON juYY where p is the density of the medium 3, N the number of transducers and 01 .. ON are the angles of the different directions of propagation P corresponding to the observation probes 6. Still as explained in the article Lee et al. As mentioned above, the tensor M can then be decomposed into singular values to obtain a diagonal matrix MO giving the parameters Epar, Eperp mentioned above: MO = [EPAR OO EPERP This determination is accompanied by the determination of the direction e0 of the fibers at the depth considered, since we have the relation: M = R.MO.RT, where R is the rotation matrix corresponding to the angle 60: [cos00 - sin 001 R = sin 00 cos Ob 25 Measurement steps (a ), calculation (b) and characterization (c), can be repeated at a relatively fast rate, so as to follow the heart or other muscle in its operation and to give successive values of the parameters rheological characteristics of the medium 3 for example on a complete cycle of functioning of the muscle forming the medium 3. When it comes to the heart, the successive measurements can be synchronized with the cardiac cycle thanks to the data communicated by the electrocardiograph 14 to the electronic central unit 16. A value of a physiological parameter related to the contraction of the muscle, for example contractility, maximum hardness or the like, is deduced therefrom.
    [0007] It will be noted that the signals picked up by the observation probes may also make it possible to readjust the successive measurements relative to each other by identifying the deformations or displacements of the medium 3 due to the operation of the muscle forming this medium 3.
    权利要求:
    Claims (21)
    [0001]
    1. A method of characterizing an anisotropic soft medium (C) comprising at least one portion (3) comprising fibers and having an outer surface (1), said method comprising the following steps: (a) a measurement step in which at least one shear wave (11) propagates diverging from a central zone (10) into the anisotropic soft medium and is observed with ultrasonic observation transducers (6), from the surface (1) of the anisotropic soft medium, propagation of said at least one shear wave in a plurality of predetermined directions of propagation (P) from said central zone (10), keeping the ultrasonic transducers of observation (6), said predetermined propagation directions (P) comprising at least two directions forming between them an angle different from 0 degrees and different from 180 degrees, said ultrasonic observation transducers (6) being arranged at least in said predetermined propagation directions (P) and said measuring step being performed in a time of less than 50 ms; (b) at least one calculation step in which, from data collected during measurement step (a), at least one propagation parameter of the shear wave is determined in each of said directions of measurement; predetermined propagation (P); (c) a characterization step in which, from said at least one propagation parameter of the shear wave determined in each of the propagation directions (P) in the calculation step (b), is determined at minus one rheological characteristic of the anisotropic soft medium, selected from an anisotropic soft medium fiber direction, a rheological parameter of elasticity in a perpendicular direction of fibers and a rheological parameter of elasticity in the fiber direction.
    [0002]
    2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the rheological parameters of elasticity determined during the characterization step (c) are moduli of elasticity.
    [0003]
    A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein: during measurement step (a), the shear wave is generated over a certain range of depths in the anisotropic soft medium and is observed propagating said at least one shear wave at different depths within said range of depths, during said calculating step (b) determining said at least one wave propagation parameter shearing in each of said predetermined directions of propagation (P) at said different depths, and during the characterization step (c), determining said at least one rheological characteristic at said different depths.
    [0004]
    A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein during measurement step (a), the predetermined propagation directions (P) in which the propagation of the shear wave is observed, are in progress. number between 3 and 20.
    [0005]
    5. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein during measurement step (a) the propagation of said at least one shear wave is observed simultaneously in all said predetermined propagation directions (P). ), with all the ultrasonic observation transducers (6) at the same time. 35
    [0006]
    6. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, during the measuring step (a), emits successively several shear waves and successively observes the propagation of each shear wave in at least one said predetermined propagation directions (P), with a portion of the ultrasonic observation transducers (6).
    [0007]
    7. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: during the measuring step (a), the passage of the shear wave is detected at predetermined measuring points respectively disposed along said directions; predetermined propagation velocity (P), and during the calculation step (b), the propagation parameter of the determined shear wave is a parameter representative of a propagation velocity of the shear wave , or a flight time of the shear wave from the central zone (10).
    [0008]
    8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the shear wave is generated from a central axis (Z) perpendicular to the surface (1) of the anisotropic soft medium and said measuring points (6) where one detects the passage of the shear wave, are each located at a distance from said central axis less than 2 cm. 25
    [0009]
    9. The method according to claim 7 or claim 8, wherein during the measurement step (a): the shear wave passage is detected by emission of acoustic compression waves (12). said measuring points predetermined by said ultrasonic observation transducers (6), at a rate of at least 300 ultrasonic compression wave shots per second, are picked up by said ultrasonic observation transducers (6), ultrasound signals reverberated by the anisotropic soft medium, and internal displacements of said anisotropic soft medium are thus determined at the passage of the shear wave at said predetermined measuring points.
    [0010]
    The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein during measurement step (a), a single ultrasonic observation transducer (6) is used per measuring point.
    [0011]
    A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein during measurement step (a), the shear wave is generated by transmitting by an ultrasonic excitation transducer (5) which carries said ultrasonic observation transducers (6), an excitation ultrasound wave (9) focused on the central zone (10), which displaces the anisotropic soft medium along said central axis (Z).
    [0012]
    12. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein during the characterization step (c), determining said at least one rheological characteristic determining an elastic tensor corresponding to the singular values the values of the propagation parameter in the different predetermined directions of propagation (P), and then decomposing this elastic tensor into singular values. 25
    [0013]
    Method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein during measurement step (a), the shear wave is generated from a central axis (Z) and during In the characterization step (c), a substantially ellipsoidal curve C (V) is determined by interpolation, as a function of the propagation parameter values calculated in the calculation step (b) in said predetermined propagation directions (P). e) .cose, V (0) .sin0) where v (e) is the value of the propagation parameter in a plane perpendicular to said central axis (Z) and 0 is an angle denoting the direction of propagation in said plane relative to a reference belonging to said plane, the direction of the fibers corresponding to an angle e0 corresponding to the maximum of v (e), the rheological parameter of elasticity in the direction of the fibers being determined as a function of V (00) and the rheological parameter of elasticity in the direction perpendicular to the etan fibers t determined according to V (eo + n / 2).
    [0014]
    A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the anisotropic soft medium comprises at least a portion of a human or animal muscle in operation and the method comprises a plurality of successive steps of measurement (a), calculation (b) and characterization (c), from which we deduce a physiological parameter related to the contraction of the muscle.
    [0015]
    A device for characterizing an anisotropic soft medium having at least one part comprising fibers and having an outer surface, said characterizing device comprising an electronic control device (19, 20) which controls an excitation probe (5) and ultrasonic observation transducers (6), the excitation probe (5) being adapted to generate a shear wave in the anisotropic soft medium from a central zone (10) and the ultrasonic observation transducers ( 6) being arranged according to a plurality of predetermined propagation directions (P) from said central zone (10), said predetermined propagation directions (P) comprising at least two directions forming between them an angle different from 0 degrees and different from 180 degrees. , the electronic control device (19, 20) being adapted for, when the excitation probe (5) and the ultrasonic observation transducers (6) are arranged on the surface of the anisotropic soft medium: (a) cause the excitation probe (5) to generate at least one shear wave adapted to propagate diverging from the central zone (10) in the anisotropic medium or medium; and observing by the ultrasonic observation transducers (6), in a total observation time of less than 50 ms, propagation of the shear wave in said predetermined directions of propagation (P) from said central area ( 10); (b) determining, from data collected by the ultrasonic observation transducers (6), at least one propagation parameter of the shear wave simultaneously in each of said predetermined propagation directions (P); (c) determining, from said at least one propagation parameter of the shear wave in each of the predetermined propagation directions (P), at least one rheological characteristic of the anisotropic soft medium selected from a direction of the fibers of the soft medium anisotropic, a rheological parameter of elasticity in a direction perpendicular to the fibers and a rheological parameter of elasticity in the direction of the fibers.
    [0016]
    The device of claim 15, wherein said ultrasonic observation transducers are in the range of from 3 to 20.
    [0017]
    17. Device according to claim 16, wherein the electronic control device (19, 20) is adapted to detect the passage of the shear wave 25 opposite each ultrasonic observation transducer (6) and the propagation parameter. The shear wave, determined by the CPU, is a representative parameter of either a shear wave propagation velocity or a shear wave flight time.
    [0018]
    18. Device according to claim 17, wherein the electronic control device (19, 20) is adapted to detect the passage of the shear wave: by emitting by the ultrasonic transducer 35 observation (6), waves acoustically compressing at a rate of at least 300 compressional ultrasonic wave shots per second, by sensing ultrasonic signals reverberated by the anisotropic soft medium by the ultrasonic observation transducers (6), and thereby determining displacements internal of said anisotropic soft medium to the passage of the shear wave opposite said ultrasonic observation transducers (6). 10
    [0019]
    The device of claim 18, wherein the excitation probe (5) is a substantially disk-shaped ultrasound transducer which carries the ultrasonic observation transducers (6).
    [0020]
    Ultrasonic probe assembly for a characterization device according to any one of claims 15 to 19, comprising an excitation ultrasound transducer (5) substantially disk-shaped and adapted to emit an ultrasonic compression wave along an axis. central (Z) to move the anisotropic soft medium along said central axis by radiation pressure and thereby propagate in the medium a diverging shear wave from said central axis, said ultrasonic excitation transducer carrying ultrasonic transducers of observation (6) distributed respectively in different directions of propagation (P) diverging with respect to said central axis (Z) and arranged at a distance of less than 2 cm from said central axis, each ultrasonic observation transducer being adapted to emit waves beam-shaped compression device (12) parallel to the central axis (Z), said propagation directions (P) com taking at least two directions that make an angle between them different from 0 degrees and different from 180 degrees.
    [0021]
    21. An ultrasonic probe assembly according to claim 20, wherein the ultrasonic transducers of observation (6) are evenly distributed on a circle centered on the central axis (Z).
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    同族专利:
    公开号 | 公开日
    FR3017041B1|2016-03-04|
    EP3099240A1|2016-12-07|
    US20160345938A1|2016-12-01|
    CN106232013A|2016-12-14|
    WO2015114232A1|2015-08-06|
    JP6502367B2|2019-04-17|
    CN106232013B|2020-08-14|
    KR20160135167A|2016-11-25|
    JP2017504435A|2017-02-09|
    CN111772678A|2020-10-16|
    CA2939013A1|2015-08-06|
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    法律状态:
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    2021-12-15| PLFP| Fee payment|Year of fee payment: 9 |
    优先权:
    申请号 | 申请日 | 专利标题
    FR1400265A|FR3017041B1|2014-01-31|2014-01-31|ULTRASONIC PROCESS AND DEVICE FOR CHARACTERIZING ANISOTROPIC SOFT MEDIA, AND ULTRASONIC PROBE ASSEMBLY FOR SUCH CHARACTERIZATION DEVICE|FR1400265A| FR3017041B1|2014-01-31|2014-01-31|ULTRASONIC PROCESS AND DEVICE FOR CHARACTERIZING ANISOTROPIC SOFT MEDIA, AND ULTRASONIC PROBE ASSEMBLY FOR SUCH CHARACTERIZATION DEVICE|
    JP2016549242A| JP6502367B2|2014-01-31|2015-01-12|Method and ultrasound device for characterizing anisotropic flexible media, and set of ultrasound probes for such characterization device|
    PCT/FR2015/050058| WO2015114232A1|2014-01-31|2015-01-12|Ultrasonic method and device for characterising weak anisotropic media, and ultrasonic probe assembly for such a characterisation device|
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    CN201580006797.9A| CN106232013B|2014-01-31|2015-01-12|Ultrasonic method and apparatus for characterizing a weakly anisotropic soft medium, and ultrasonic probe assembly for use in the characterizing apparatus|
    US15/115,168| US20160345938A1|2014-01-31|2015-01-12|Ultrasonic method and device for characterising weak anisotropic media, and ultrasonic probe assembly for such a characterisation device|
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