Group-shearwave based viscoelastic parameter estimation: Analysis of sources of bias

Shear Wave Elasticity Imaging is used to assess liver fibrosis, as shear wave speed (SWS) correlates with fibrosis stage. We have previously proposed a group SWS-based method to derive the tissue's stiffness (μ) and viscosity (η) using an analytic solution for the shear wave propagation in a Voigt material which accounts for the source excitation geometry [Rouze et al., IEEE IUS 2016]. However, in vivo factors such as phase aberration and nonlinear propagation cause the excitation beam pattern to differ from the modeled geometry. This work assesses the error introduced in material parameter determination by a range of perturbations in source geometry.

Duke Scholars

Author Mark L. Palmeri Biomedical Engineering

Author Kathryn Radabaugh Nightingale Biomedical Engineering