Prostate Tissue Motion Tracking and Ultrasound Elastography Using Tissue Mechanics Derived Constraints

Current prostate cancer detection methods can be costly to obtain, such as magnetic resonance imaging, or lack specificity, such as a digital rectal exam. Ultrasound elastography, a method that can be used to develop and test algorithms that output stiffness, strain, and displacement data captured by ultrasound radio frequency readings, offers a potential solution to these challenges. An initial algorithm utilizing dynamic programming and analytic minimization estimates the radial and angular displacements from a pre- and post-compression data set to determine the required material properties. This estimate of displacements is then refined through an algorithm where incompressibility, Laplacian smoothing, and strain compatibility are enforced. The refined displacement field can generate a strain image of the prostate. Material properties such as Young’s modulus, Poisson’s ratio, and shear modulus can be iteratively reconstructed using finite element analysis to enhance the output images further. The material property calculation process, known for its accuracy, yields informative results to clinicians when diagnosing prostate malignancies.

Name thesis:degree_name

M Eng Sci

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Grantor dc:publisher

The University of Western Ontario

Year dc:date.issued

2024

Author dc:creator

• Curry, Tristan S

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Samani, Abbas

• Prostate Cancer
• Ultrasound Elastography
• Tissue Mimicking Phantom
• Finite Element Modelling
• Oncology
• Trans Rectal Ultrasound

Language dc:language.iso

en_ca

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14721/34545

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:uwo.scholaris.ca:20.500.14721/34545