Viscoelastic biomarkers of ex vivo liver samples via torsional wave elastography

Abstract

The clinical ultrasound community demands mechanisms to obtain the viscoelastic biomarkers of soft tissue in order to quantify the tissue condition and to be able to track its consistency. Torsional Wave Elastography (TWE) is an emerging technique proposed for interrogating soft tissue mechanical viscoelastic constants. Torsional waves are a particular configuration of shear waves, which propagate asymmetrically in-depth and are radially transmitted by a disc and received by a ring. This configuration is shown to be particularly efficient in minimizing spurious p-waves components and is sensitive to mechanical constants, especially in cylinder-shaped organs. The objective of this work was to validate (TWE) technique against Shear Wave Elasticity Imaging (SWEI) technique through the determination of shear wave velocity, shear moduli, and viscosity of ex vivo chicken liver samples and tissue mimicking hydrogel phantoms. The results of shear moduli for ex vivo liver tissue vary 1.69–4.0 kPa using TWE technique and 1.32–4.48 kPa using SWEI technique for a range of frequencies from 200 to 800 Hz. Kelvin–Voigt viscoelastic parameters reported values of µ = 1.51 kPa and η = 0.54 Pa·s using TWE and µ = 1.02 kPa and η = 0.63 Pa·s using SWEI. Preliminary results show that the proposed technique successfully allows reconstructing shear wave velocity, shear moduli, and viscosity mechanical biomarkers from the propagated torsional wave, establishing a proof of principle and warranting further studies.