Abstract: Transient elastography (TE) is well adapted for use in studying liver elasticity. However, in clinical application, it is challenging to detect the transient shear wave motion in a severe noise environment, such as within deep tissues and for obese patients. This paper, therefore, investigates the feasibility of implementing coded excitation in TE for shear wave detection. The 7 bit Barker code is used in this study. The performances of coded excitation for transient elastography are quantitatively compared in terms of shear wave SNR and the detection depth. Elastic phantom experiment shows that coded pulse outperform traditional short pulse by providing superior shear wave SNR and detection depth. Results from the in vitro liver experiment prove the feasibility of implementing the coding technique in tissue and shows that the coded pulses could provide higher shear wave SNR than the traditional short pulse. These promising results prove the feasibility of implementing coded excitation in TE application, to facilitate superior detection depth.