Palpation is routinely used by physicians to distinguish cancerous tissues from normal tissues in organs such as the breast and the prostate. This technique is effective because cancerous tissues typically have higher tissue stiffness characteristic compared to normal soft tissues. However, the palpation technique is unable to detect abnormalities deep within tissue, for example, liver.
Here, we introduce the application of the Harmonic Motion Imaging (HMI) technique that induces dynamic tissue vibrations internally for tissue elasticity characterization. Moreover, the HMI technique can monitor changes in tissues elasticity real-time during focused ultrasound surgery (FUS). Thus, physicians can interrupt the FUS treatment when it is necessary. The advantages of this technique are detecting cancerous tissues early and treating them non-invasively.