Ultrasonic imaging system and method

The present invention relates to an ultrasonic imaging system for evaluating and displaying a deformation of a body organ. A sequence of image data sets comprising at least a first image data set and a second image data set of echographic data is acquired. A motion vector field is calculated between image points of the second image data set and image points of the first image data set. A reference point is chosen within or outside the first and second image data sets. A first scanline is defined, which comprises said reference point. A motion vector of an image point is projected onto the defined first scanline, which provides a projected tissue velocity along the first scanline. The projected tissue velocity is used for evaluating a ID component of a deformation of the body organ at the image point along the direction of the first scanline. Such a ID component of a deformation of the body organ, for example a strain rate or a strain, is further rendered in a graphical representation of the sequence of image data sets.