Acoustic radiation force-based ultrasound elastography for cardiac imaging applications
This chapter reviews the current research and applications for acoustic radiation force (ARF)‐based methods, namely ARF impulse (ARFI) imaging and shear wave elasticity imaging (SWEI) methods, in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac diseases. ARFI imaging is an ultrasound‐based elastography method that provides information about the local mechanical properties of tissue. SWEI imaging is another ARF‐based elastography technique that uses acoustic impulses to displace tissue. SWEI and ARFI imaging are currently implemented on software‐modified diagnostic ultrasound scanners and use conventional and prototype ultrasound transducers for the generation of radiation force and the tracking of the tissue response. Ultrasound elastography can provide direct tissue stiffness measurements throughout the cardiac cycle, and cardiac functional indices can be extracted from these mechanical measurements. Noninvasive measurement of cardiac stiffness through transthoracic imaging has great prognostic potential to diagnose a myriad of cardiomyopathies.
