title: Detection of mild traumatic brain injury in rodent models using shear wave elastography: preliminary studies.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can cause adverse physiologic changes in fluid content within the brain, which may lead to changes in tissue elasticity (eg, stiffness). This study evaluated the ability of ultrasonic shear wave elastography to observe these changes in the brain after TBI in vivo.
  
  
  METHODS
  Mice and rats received a mild TBI or sham surgery and were imaged acutely or 24 hours after injury using shear wave elastography, and the hemispheric stiffness values were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Stiffness values were consistent across brain hemispheres of sham TBI rodents. By 24 hours after TBI, relative brain tissue stiffness values for mice and rats each decreased ipsilaterally and increased contralaterally, both relative to each other and compared to sham TBI rodents (P < .05). The absolute tissue elasticity value increased for rats (P < .05) but not for mice.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Differences between intrahemispheric stiffness values of rodent brains by 24 hours after mild TBI may reflect the observed edema and hemorrhage ipsilateral to TBI and the known reduction of cerebral blood flow in both brain hemispheres. If these hypotheses hold true, ultrasonic shear wave elastography may offer a method for detecting adverse changes in fluid content within the brain after mild TBI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering (Z.S.X., A.Y., S.S.C., P.D.M.), Applied Physics Laboratory (M.K.P., P.D.M.), and Department of Neurological Surgery (A.M.M., S.P.M., P.D.M.), University of Washington, Seattle, Washington USA.
authors.forename: Zinnia S
authors.initials: ZS
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering (Z.S.X., A.Y., S.S.C., P.D.M.), Applied Physics Laboratory (M.K.P., P.D.M.), and Department of Neurological Surgery (A.M.M., S.P.M., P.D.M.), University of Washington, Seattle, Washington USA.
authors.forename: Anning
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering (Z.S.X., A.Y., S.S.C., P.D.M.), Applied Physics Laboratory (M.K.P., P.D.M.), and Department of Neurological Surgery (A.M.M., S.P.M., P.D.M.), University of Washington, Seattle, Washington USA.
authors.forename: Stephanie S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering (Z.S.X., A.Y., S.S.C., P.D.M.), Applied Physics Laboratory (M.K.P., P.D.M.), and Department of Neurological Surgery (A.M.M., S.P.M., P.D.M.), University of Washington, Seattle, Washington USA.
authors.forename: Marla K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Paun
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering (Z.S.X., A.Y., S.S.C., P.D.M.), Applied Physics Laboratory (M.K.P., P.D.M.), and Department of Neurological Surgery (A.M.M., S.P.M., P.D.M.), University of Washington, Seattle, Washington USA.
authors.forename: Abbi M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: McClintic
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering (Z.S.X., A.Y., S.S.C., P.D.M.), Applied Physics Laboratory (M.K.P., P.D.M.), and Department of Neurological Surgery (A.M.M., S.P.M., P.D.M.), University of Washington, Seattle, Washington USA.
authors.forename: Sean P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering (Z.S.X., A.Y., S.S.C., P.D.M.), Applied Physics Laboratory (M.K.P., P.D.M.), and Department of Neurological Surgery (A.M.M., S.P.M., P.D.M.), University of Washington, Seattle, Washington USA. pierre@apl.washington.edu.
authors.forename: Pierre D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Mourad
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016477:Artifacts; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D055119:Elastic Modulus; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013194:Staining and Labeling
keywords: brain; edema; elastography; traumatic brain injury; ultrasound