Patent ID: 8753278
Filing Date: 2014-06-17
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
1. A method for controlling transducer contact pressure in medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging, the method comprising: placing an ultrasound transducer against a patient's breast; adjusting the amount of contact pressure applied by the ultrasound transducer against the breast; ultrasonically scanning, with the ultrasound transducer, a scan region of the breast, the scan region including a diagnosis region of interest and a near field region outside of the diagnosis region of interest; measuring, with ultrasound data received by the transducer due to the scanning, compression of body tissue caused by the pressure, the compression measured as a thickness of a skin layer or whether the skin layer is detectable, the skin layer being between the ultrasound transducer and the diagnosis region of interest, the skin layer in the near field region of interest and outside the diagnosis region of interest; and controlling the transducer contact pressure as a function of the measured compression of the body tissue.