Method for imaging a volume of tissue

1. A method for imaging a volume of tissue within an acoustic coupling medium in a scan region, comprising:

emitting acoustic waveforms from transmitting transducers toward the volume of tissue;

detecting, with detecting transducers, a plurality of acoustic signals derived from acoustic waveforms interacting with the volume of tissue;

generating, from the plurality of acoustic signals, a plurality of variable attenuation maps, wherein each variable attenuation map corresponds to a respective detecting transducer and the acoustic signals detected by the respective detecting transducer, and wherein each variable attenuation map includes a plurality of variable attenuation coefficients mapped to the scan region, comprising the volume of tissue and the acoustic coupling medium, for the corresponding detecting transducer, wherein at least a subset of the plurality of variable attenuation coefficients, characterizing the acoustic coupling medium, comprises unequal variable attenuation coefficients, such that the subset is not defined by a constant attenuation coefficient;

transforming at least a portion of the plurality of acoustic signals into a set of modified acoustic signals based upon at least one variable attenuation map of the plurality of variable attenuation maps; and

generating a reflection rendering of the volume of tissue based upon the set of modified acoustic signals.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein emitting acoustic waveforms towards the volume of tissue includes surrounding the volume of tissue with ultrasound transducers.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein surrounding the volume of tissue includes encircling a human breast with a ring transducer.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating a plurality of variable attenuation maps includes generating an image of the scan region with discrete grid elements, wherein each grid element represents a corresponding attenuation coefficient.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein generating a plurality of variable attenuation maps includes generating a set of two-dimensional images of attenuation coefficients of the scan region, each two-dimensional image corresponding to a cross-section of the scan region.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein generating a plurality of variable attenuation maps further includes generating a plurality of path integral attenuation maps, wherein each path integral attenuation map corresponds to a detecting transducer and represents path integral attenuation for each of a plurality of acoustic signal paths to the detecting transducer.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein generating a plurality of path integral attenuation maps includes, for each detecting transducer:

averaging the attenuation coefficients of grid elements along an acoustic signal path;

multiplying the averaged attenuation coefficient by a length of the acoustic signal path characterized by a round-trip path bounded by an origin and an end point of a reflected acoustic signal; and

repeating the averaging and multiplying steps for each of the plurality of acoustic signal paths.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein generating a plurality of path integral attenuation maps includes, for each detecting transducer:

tracing a plurality of acoustic signal paths at least partially based on a sound speed map corresponding to the detecting transducer;

integrating attenuation along each of the traced acoustic signal paths.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein tracing a plurality of acoustic signal paths includes determining refraction of the acoustic signal paths on the sound speed map corresponding to the detecting transducer.

10. The method of claim 6 , wherein transforming at least a portion of the plurality of acoustic signals includes amplifying at least a portion of the plurality of acoustic signals detected by a detecting transducer based on the path average attenuation map for the detecting transducer.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein amplifying at least a portion of the plurality of acoustic signals for a detecting transducer includes multiplying a detected acoustic signal of the plurality of acoustic signals by a factor including a path average attenuation corresponding to the detected acoustic signal.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein multiplying a detected acoustic signal by a factor includes multiplying the detected acoustic signal by an exponent of the corresponding path average attenuation.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating a reflection rendering of the volume of tissue includes generating a set of two-dimensional reflection renderings of cross-sections of the volume of tissue.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating a reflection rendering includes utilizing a migration algorithm.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein generating a reflection rendering includes utilizing a Kirchhoff migration algorithm.

16. The method of claim 14 , further including generating a sound speed rendering of the volume of tissue and generating a plurality of signal variable travel time maps from the sound speed rendering of the volume of tissue, wherein each signal variable travel time map corresponds to a respective transmitting transducer and represents travel time for each detected signal for the respective transmitting transducer.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein generating a reflection rendering of the volume of tissue incorporates the signal variable travel time maps.

18. A method for imaging a volume of tissue within an acoustic coupling medium in a scan region, comprising:

emitting acoustic waveforms from transmitting transducers towards the volume of tissue;

detecting, with detecting transducers, a plurality of acoustic signals derived from acoustic waveforms interacting with the volume of tissue;

generating, from the plurality of acoustic signals, a plurality of path average attenuation maps, wherein each path average attenuation map of the plurality of path average attenuation maps corresponds to a detecting transducer and represents path average attenuation for each of a plurality of acoustic signal paths to the detecting transducer, wherein at least a subset of attenuation coefficients, from the plurality of path average attenuation maps and characterizing the acoustic coupling medium, comprises unequal attenuation coefficients, such that the subset is not defined by a constant attenuation coefficient;

amplifying a first detected acoustic signal of the plurality of acoustic signals based on a first path average attenuation of the plurality of path average attenuation maps, thereby producing a first amplified acoustic signal;

amplifying a second detected acoustic signal of the plurality of acoustic signals based on a second path average attenuation of the plurality of path average attenuation maps, different from the first path average attenuation, thereby producing a second amplified acoustic signal; and

generating a reflection rendering of the volume of tissue based on at least the first and second amplified acoustic signals.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein amplifying the first detected acoustic signal includes multiplying the first detected acoustic signal by a factor including an exponent of the first path average attenuation.

20. The method of claim 18 , further comprising generating a plurality of signal variable travel time maps from a sound speed rendering of the volume of tissue, wherein each signal variable travel time map corresponds to a respective detecting transducer and represents travel time for each detected signal for the respective detecting transducer.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein generating a rendering of the volume of tissue includes utilizing a Kirchhoff migration algorithm incorporating the plurality of signal variable travel time maps and the amplified acoustic signals.

22. A method for imaging human breast tissue within an acoustic coupling medium in a scan region, comprising:

surrounding the breast tissue with a ring transducer including ultrasound emitters;

emitting ultrasound waveforms towards the breast tissue;

detecting, with detecting transducers, a plurality of acoustic signals derived from ultrasound waveforms interacting with the breast tissue;

generating, from the plurality of acoustic signals, a plurality of variable attenuation maps, wherein each variable attenuation map of the plurality of variable attenuation maps corresponds to a respective detecting transducer and acoustic signals detected by the respective detecting transducer, and wherein each variable attenuation map of the plurality of variable attenuation maps includes a plurality of variable attenuation coefficients mapped to the scan region for the corresponding detecting transducer, wherein at least a subset of attenuation coefficients, from the plurality of variable attenuation maps and characterizing the acoustic coupling medium, comprises unequal attenuation coefficients, such that the subset is not defined by a constant attenuation coefficient;

generating a plurality of path integral attenuation maps from the plurality of variable attenuation maps, wherein each path integral attenuation map of the plurality of path integral attenuation maps corresponds to a detecting transducer and represents path average attenuation for each of a plurality of acoustic signal paths to the detecting transducer;

modifying a first detected acoustic signal of the plurality of acoustic signals based on a first path integral attenuation of the plurality of path integral attenuation maps, thereby producing a first modified acoustic signal;

modifying a second detected acoustic signal of the plurality of acoustic signals based on a second path integral attenuation of the plurality of path integral attenuation maps, different from the first path average attenuation, thereby producing a second modified acoustic signal; and

generating a reflection rendering of the breast tissue based on at least the first and second modified acoustic signals.