Virtual Touch IQ

Siemens was the first to commercially implement Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse (ARFI) technology on an ultrasound system.

ARFI-based feature from Siemens

Virtual Touch™ IQ is the latest ARFI-based feature from Siemens and combines the benefits of imaging together with quantification. The pushing force of ultrasound (the ‘push pulse’) displaces the tissue and then phenomena known as shear waves are generated. These propagate perpendicular to the ultrasound pulse. The velocities of these shear waves across a user-defined Region of Interest can be displayed as a color-coded velocity map and allows immediate subjective assessment of stiffness. Adding a user-adjustable scale which increases or decreases the range of velocities displayed allows even subtle velocity differences to be easily accommodated. Multiple measurements may be taken at any point within the Region of Interest. The velocities at any point within the Region of Interest may be shown instantly simply by moving the cursor. This facilitates accurate selection and measurement, whereupon the measurement may be set, and the result placed into a comprehensive reporting package. The reporting package also includes statistical analysis as well as shear wave velocity by location.

A unique advantage of Virtual Touch IQ is the Quality Map. This represents the quality of the shear waves as a simple “traffic light” display, providing added confidence in the accuracy of shear wave velocity estimation.

How Virtual Touch IQ Works

Play video (01:13)

Virtual Touch IQ uses a sequence of an acoustic push pulse followed by tracking pulses to estimate shear wave speed:

  1. User-defined Region of Interest (ROI) is placed
  2. Acoustic push pulses are applied across the ROI
  3. Tracking beams (sensitive to greater than 1/00 the wavelength of sound) then estimate the velocity of the resulting shear waves by measuring the time between the generation of the shear wave and the passing of shear wave peak at an adjacent location
  4. The result is an exceptionally high resolution color-scaled display, with the scale being user-adjustable to show a narrow or wide range of shear wave velocities
  5. Quantitative measurements of stiffness can be acquired, and inserted into a comprehensive reporting package


Available on the 9L4 transducer and for Breast, Thyroid, Musculoskeletal and Small Parts exams.

Clinical Benefits

  • Visualization of quantifiable differences in tissue elasticity enhances assessment of lesion morphology and heterogeneity not visible with conventional ultrasound images
  • Unique pulse sequences with high spatial sampling result in resolution of hypoelastic lesions as small as 3 millimeters
  • Shear wave velocity range of up to 10 meters per second allows accurate elasticity measurements even in the stiffest clinically encountered lesions
  • High repeatability and reproducibility enhances diagnostic confidence
  • Improved targeting of the most appropriate location for biopsy
  • Color-coded imaging display as well as quantification on one image provides superb flexibility and customization
  • Applicable even in patients with higher BMI

Image Gallery

VTIQ for system
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