A lateral speckle tracking algorithm for ultrasound elastography

Speckle tracking is widely used for elastography in ultrasound imaging. Traditional speckle tracking algorithms accurately detect axial motion, but have difficulty detecting lateral motion, even with a significant computational burden. A modified cross correlation algorithm with a synthetic lateral phase has been developed to reduce the computation time, allowing for real-time implementation. The modified algorithm yields results comparable to those of existing lateral displacement tracking methods. With the modified method, lateral movement in the micrometer range can be successfully tracked while reducing computational time by more than a factor of two. This algorithm will serve as a useful tool to further advance ultrasound elastography.