Patent ID: 8727995

Claim:
A system for reduction of motion artifacts in ultrasound imaging, the system comprising: a catheter comprising an ultrasound transducer and a flexible portion; a first processor configured to determine an acoustic force radiation pushing pulse to be transmitted by a transmit beamformer; the transmit beamformer configured to generate the acoustic force radiation pushing pulse determined by the first processor, the acoustic force radiation pulse having a maximum amplitude and lasting for a first duration, the acoustic force radiation pushing pulse being modulated in amplitude, the modulation comprising variation such that transmission of the acoustic force radiation pushing pulse causes less recoil of the catheter at the flexible portion than where the acoustic force radiation pushing pulse is at the maximum amplitude over the first duration but without the modulation, the variation of the modulation being a function of the recoil of the catheter; an image processor configured to detect tissue motion in response to the acoustic force radiation pushing pulse, the tissue motion having a greater magnitude than a magnitude of the recoil; and a display operable to output tissue response as a function of the tissue motion.