Patent ID: 8491477

Claim:
A method comprising: transmitting and acquiring ultrasound signals echoed from a bodily structure of interest while the bodily structure of interest is compressed and expanded by an oscillating in vivo source of compression proximate to the bodily structure of interest, wherein the bodily structure of interest is compressed and expanded without the application of external compressions to the bodily structure of interest; and generating strain images for the bodily structure of interest and the in vivo source of compression by executing a strain calculation on the ultrasound signals echoed from the bodily structure of interest while the bodily structure of interest is compressed and expanded; determining a strain of the bodily structure of interest and a strain near the in vivo source of compression from the strain images; and computing a quantitative measure of tissue stiffness of the bodily structure of interest by taking a quotient of the strain near the in vivo source of compression and the strain of the bodily structure of interest.