System and method for screening tissue

Abstract

A system and method for screening tissue is provided. The system provides a computer-based system for distinguishing between normal and potentially abnormal tissue. The system includes computer components for generating and receiving ultrasonic waves, for storing a tissue model, and for analyzing received ultrasonic waves in the context of the tissue model.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A tissue screening system, comprising: 
 an ultrasonic wave producer that produces a first ultrasonic wave that is directed at a tissue to be screened;    an ultrasonic wave receiver that receives one or more second ultrasonic waves, where the second ultrasonic waves are produced by the first ultrasonic wave interacting with the tissue to be screened; and    an analyzer operably connected to one or more of the ultrasonic wave producer and the ultrasonic wave receiver, where the analyzer differentiates tissue regions in the tissue to be screened based, at least in part, on analyzing one or more relationships between the first ultrasonic wave and the second ultrasonic waves.    
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , comprising a tissue mechanical properties model in data communication with the analyzer.  
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2 , where the tissue mechanical properties model stores information concerning one or more of, tissue reflection, tissue transmission, tissue elasticity, tissue particle size, tissue micro-architecture, and tissue micromoduli.  
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 2 , where the analyzer analyzes the second ultrasonic waves to characterize the mechanical reaction of the first ultrasonic wave with the tissue to be screened to facilitate identifying tissue mechanical properties which in turn facilitate identifying tissue properties and distinguishing healthy tissue from diseased tissue.  
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 2 , where the tissue mechanical properties model is based on nanomechanics.  
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 2 , where the tissue mechanical properties model is based on one of a linear or non-linear viscoelastic model.  
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , where the tissue mechanical properties model stores information associated with reflection coefficients of normal and abnormal tissues.  
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , where the analyzer is a computer component.  
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , where the tissue to be screened is one of an external tissue surface and an internal tissue surface.  
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1 , where the tissue to be screened is a human tissue.  
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1 , where the one or more second ultrasonic waves include one or more reflected waves.  
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 1 , where the one or more second ultrasonic waves include one or more transmitted waves.  
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 1 , where the analyzer analyzes a reflection spectrum.  
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 1 , where the tissue to be sampled is treated with a nanoparticle contrast agent before having the first ultrasonic wave directed at the tissue to be sampled.  
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 1 , where the ultrasonic wave producer and the ultrasonic wave receiver are both located in a portable device that can be passed over the tissue to be screened.  
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 1 , where the ultrasonic wave producer and the ultrasonic wave receiver are both located in a device under which the tissue to be screened can be passed.  
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 1 , where the ultrasonic wave producer is one of a transducer and a transducer array.  
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 1 , where the ultrasonic wave receive is one of a transducer and a transducer array.  
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 1 , where the first ultrasonic wave is in the range of 2.5 to 12.5 MHz, with a center frequency of 7.5 MHz.  
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 1 , where the first ultrasonic wave is in a range with a lower bound between 2 and 7 MHz and an upper bound between 8 and 13 MHz.  
     
     
         21 . A computer readable medium storing computer executable components of the system of  claim 2 .  
     
     
         22 . A method for screening tissue, comprising: 
 directing an ultrasonic wave at a tissue to be screened;    receiving one or more second ultrasonic waves produced by the first ultrasonic wave interacting with the tissue to be screened; and    determining whether an area of the tissue to be screened should be tagged, where the determining includes analyzing one or more parameters associated with the second ultrasonic waves in the context of a tissue mechanical properties model.    
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , where the first ultrasonic waves have a frequency in the range 3 to 13 MHz.  
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 22 , where the second ultrasonic waves comprise one or more of, reflected waves, and transmitted waves.  
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 22 , comprising: 
 associating a nanoparticle contrast agent with the tissue to be screened before directing the ultrasonic wave at the tissue to be screened.    
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 22 , where analyzing the one or more parameters associated with the second ultrasonic waves comprises analyzing one or more of, tissue reflection, tissue transmission, tissue elasticity, tissue particle size, tissue micromoduli, tissue micro-architecture, and tissue mechanical response properties.  
     
     
         27 . A computer readable medium storing computer executable instructions operable to perform computer executable portions of the method of  claim 22 .  
     
     
         28 . A tissue area mapping method, comprising: 
 identifying one or more first data values for a set of tissue area parameters by processing a first resultant ultrasonic wave received from a tissue area, where the first resultant ultrasonic wave is the result of a first incident ultrasonic wave interacting with the tissue area;    storing the first data values;    at a later time, identifying one or more second data values for the set of tissue area parameters by processing a second resultant ultrasonic wave received from the tissue area, where the second resultant ultrasonic wave is the result of a second incident ultrasonic wave interacting with the tissue area; and    selectively tagging a pathologically interesting tissue location in the tissue area based, at least in part, on analyzing tissue mechanical properties discernible by analyzing one or more of the first data values, the second data values, and relations between the first and second data values.    
     
     
         29 . The system of  claim 28 , where analyzing the first data values and the second data values comprises analyzing one or more of tissue reflection, tissue transmission, tissue elasticity, tissue particle size, tissue micromoduli, tissue micro architecture, and tissue mechanical response properties.  
     
     
         30 . The system of  claim 29 , where the tissue area is a mole.  
     
     
         31 . An automated pathology slide reader, comprising: 
 a slide holder for holding a slide on which tissue is located, the tissue being located between two first layers, the slide being immersed in a fluid;    an ultrasound wave generator for producing incident ultrasonic waves that are directed at the slide at an incident angle;    an ultrasound wave receiver for receiving a reflected ultrasonic wave produced by the incident wave interacting with the tissue on the slide, where the reflected ultrasonic wave is reflected from the slide at a reflection angle; and    a comparison computer component for comparing one or more of, the incident angle, the reflected angle, reflection spectra, the incident wave, and the reflected wave, and determining one or more tissue properties.    
     
     
         32 . The slide reader of  claim 31 , where the incident angle is an angle between two mode conversion angles of the first layers and the fluid in which the slide is immersed.  
     
     
         33 . The slide reader of  claim 31 , where the incident angle is between 15 and 20 degrees.  
     
     
         34 . A tissue screening system, comprising: 
 means for generating a first ultrasonic wave;    means for directing the first ultrasonic wave at a tissue sample to be screened;    means for collecting a second ultrasonic wave produced from a mechanical interaction of the first ultrasonic wave and the tissue sample to be screened;    means for modeling one or more modeled mechanical properties of tissue into one or more modeled mechanical properties of tissue;    means for correlating the one or more mechanical properties with one or more mechanical interactions between a tissue sample and an ultrasonic wave; and    means for identifying pathologically interesting regions of the tissue sample based, at least in part, on correlating the one or more mechanical properties with one or more mechanical interactions between the tissue sample, the first ultrasonic wave, and the second ultrasonic wave in the context of the modeled mechanical properties.    
     
     
         35 . A method for building a model that characterizes tissue response to ultrasonic waves, comprising: 
 acquiring a set of known normal tissue samples;    analyzing the set of normal tissue samples employing ultrasonic waves and a nanomechanical representation of the normal tissue samples to produce a first analysis data;    acquiring a set of known malignant tissue samples;    analyzing the set of known malignant tissue samples employing ultrasonic waves and a nanomechanical representation of the malignant tissue samples to produce a second analysis data;    characterizing tissue based, at least in part, on the first analysis data, the second analysis data, and a nanomechanical representation of tissue, where the characterizing produces a characterization data; and    building a model that stores one or more of the first analysis data, the second analysis data, and the characterization data.    
     
     
         36 . A computer readable medium having stored thereon a data structure associated with a biomechanical response model, comprising: 
 a first field that stores information associated with tissue reflection properties;    a second field that stores information associated with tissue health properties; and    a third field that stores correlation information associated with correlating the tissue reflection properties of the first field and the tissue health properties of the second field.