title: Needle shear wave driver for magnetic resonance elastography.
abstract: Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) is capable of quantitatively depicting the mechanical properties of tissues in vivo. In contrast to mechanical excitation at the surface of the tissue, the method proposed in this study describes shear waves produced by an inserted needle. The results demonstrate that MRE performed with the needle driver provides shear stiffness estimates that correlate well with those obtained using mechanical testing. Comparisons between MRE acquisitions obtained with surface and needle drivers yielded similar results in general. However, the well-defined wave propagation pattern provided by the needle driver in a target region can reduce section orientation-related error in wavelength estimation that occurs with surface drivers in 2D MRE acquisitions. Preliminary testing of the device was performed on animals. This study demonstrates that the needle driver is an effective option that offers advantages over surface drivers for obtaining accurate stiffness estimates in targeted regions that are accessible by the needle.
authors.affiliation: Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Q C C
authors.initials: QC
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Ehman
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Grimm
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: E S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004548:Elasticity; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D010173:Palpation; D010812:Physical Stimulation / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D011817:Rabbits; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013314:Stress, Mechanical