Shear Wave Imaging of the heart using a cardiac phased array with coherent spatial compound

The concept of coherent compound for diverging waves is proposed to make Shear Wave Imaging at very high frame rate (up to 4000 images/sec) with a conventional cardiac phased array probe non invasively in a beating human heart. The first goal of this study was to demonstrate the improvement of the imaging performances based on spatial coherent compound with diverging wave. We show here that this technique allows tracking the shear waves with a good temporal resolution and a good signal to noise ratio which leads to a precise estimation of the local medium stiffness. The amelioration is quantified in gel and pig heart. Finally, the feasibility of this technique in vivo in a human heart is shown and shear wave velocity during diastole is estimated in the anterior wall of the left ventricle.