Notice of Removal: Parameters impacting accuracy of ARFI-derived stiffness ratios: A simulation study with implications on measurement of dynamic myocardial stiffness
Measurement of myocardial stiffness using ultrasound-based transient elastography has received significant attention in recent years. The mechanical properties of myocardium not only undergo cyclic dynamic changes over the cardiac cycle but also change on a slower scale with physiological factors. They are also closely tied to several cardiovascular disorders such as heart failure, cardio-toxicity and transplant rejection. SWEI allows for quantitative assessment of tissue mechanical properties. However, in the context of cardiac imaging it has only been shown to be feasible in diastole. ARFI, on the other hand, provides a relative estimate of tissue mechanical properties and has been shown to be viable over the entire cardiac cycle. ARFI-derived myocardial stiffness ratios have been investigated as a potential clinical metric of myocardial function. While this ratio is indicative of the change in stiffness of the myocardium over the cardiac cycle, its quantitative relationship to absolute material properties has yet to be thoroughly investigated.
