US 12,433,566 B2
Method and apparatus to detect lipid contents in tissues using ultrasound
Kang Kim, Pittsburgh, PA (US); Ahmed M. Mahmoud, Giza (EG); and Debaditya Dutta, Pittsburgh, PA (US)
Assigned to University of Pittsburgh—Of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education, Pittsburgh, PA (US)
Filed by University of Pittsburgh—Of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education, Pittsburgh, PA (US)
Filed on Sep. 1, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/929,080.
Application 17/929,080 is a division of application No. 16/430,315, filed on Jun. 3, 2019, granted, now 11,464,479.
Application 16/430,315 is a continuation of application No. 14/409,378, granted, now 10,357,223, issued on Jul. 23, 2019, previously published as PCT/US2013/049342, filed on Jul. 3, 2013.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/831,072, filed on Jun. 4, 2013.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/667,807, filed on Jul. 3, 2012.
Prior Publication US 2022/0409166 A1, Dec. 29, 2022
Int. Cl. A61B 8/00 (2006.01); A61B 5/00 (2006.01); A61B 8/08 (2006.01); A61B 5/01 (2006.01)
CPC A61B 8/08 (2013.01) [A61B 5/0095 (2013.01); A61B 5/4872 (2013.01); A61B 8/48 (2013.01); A61B 8/485 (2013.01); A61B 8/5223 (2013.01); A61B 5/015 (2013.01); A61B 8/4416 (2013.01); A61B 8/543 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for quantifying, in vivo, an amount of fat contained in a target area of a subject, the method comprising:
varying a temperature of a target area of the subject by heating the target area to increase the temperature of the target area from a first temperature to a second temperature, the first temperature being a normal body temperature of the target area and the second temperature being a maximum temperature to which the target area is heated, and the target area being an area of a peripheral artery, a breast, or a location in which plastic surgery is being performed on the subject;
restricting the variation in temperature of the target area to three degrees Celsius or less;
imaging thermal strain of the target area using an ultrasound scanner to obtain a first thermal strain imaging sequence at the first temperature and a second thermal imaging sequence at the second temperature; and
generating and displaying a thermal strain map to quantify the amount of fat in the targeted area based on the thermal strain imaging.