Tissue Strain Analytics is a new dimension of information, which is not available using conventional sonographic imaging and represents the most significant advancement in ultrasound since the advent of Doppler imaging.

The Virtual Touch Tissue Imaging application is the first available implementation of ARFI, acoustic radiation force impulse imaging. It uses an acoustic ‘push-pulse’ to interrogate the mechanical strain properties or stiffness of tissue, a method similar to a physical palpation exam. Virtual Touch images provide complementary information to the standard B-mode image by supplying insights into changes in tissue stiffness, which are often associated with pathology.
Virtual Touch Tissue Quantification measures the velocity of shear waves. Shear waves, which travel at a greater speeds in stiff tissue compared with soft tissue, travel perpendicular to the push pulse. Their movement may be tracked by detecting tissue displacement in relation to the transmitted, conventional ultrasound beam. This application may prove to be a major breakthrough in identifying early stages of liver diseases causing cirrhosis.