An Instrumented Ultrasound Probe for Shear Wave Elastography With Uneven Force Distribution

An instrumented ultrasound probe system is designed to estimate the distribution of pressure applied across the probe face during image acquisition. The pressure distribution is used to investigate the effects of varying, and non-uniform, pressure distributions on shear wave elastography measurements in phantoms and ex vivo samples. Pressure distribution has a notable effect on shear wave elastography of ex vivo samples. The gradient in applied pressure across the probe face is mirrored in the gradient of elasticity measurements across the ultrasound elastogram image.