A method and apparatus for measuring a viscoelastic parameter of a viscoelastic medium. The method comprises: applying a mechanical vibration at a single predetermined frequency to the viscoelastic medium to generate shear waves in the viscoelastic medium (101)； transmitting ultrasonic waves to the viscoelastic medium and receiving ultrasonic echo signals (102)； acquiring maximal displacement data of the shear waves at various depths according to the ultrasonic echo signals (103), the maximal displacement data representing the maximal oscillation amplitudes of the shear waves when the shear waves propagate to different depths in the viscoelastic medium； fitting each of the maximal displacement data to acquire a maximal displacement attenuation curve (104)； and determining a viscoelastic parameter of the viscoelastic medium according to the maximal displacement attenuation curve (105). Therefore, the present invention can obtain a viscoelastic parameter related both to elasticity and viscosity to increase the measuring dimensions of a tissue, which is advantageous in providing more diversified parameter information and measuring dimensions of a tissue, providing a more accurate result of tissue fibrosis measurement.
