elastography

w.ajaj's picture

In Vivo Elasticity Measurements of Extremity Skeletal Muscle With MR Elastography

Journal Title, Volume, Page: 
NMR in Biomedicine (2004) Volume: 17, Issue: 4, Pages: 181-190
Year of Publication: 
2004
Authors: 
Kai Uffmann
Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Essen, Germany
Stefan Maderwald
Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Essen, Germany
Waleed Ajaj
Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Essen, Germany
Current Affiliation: 
Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine
Craig G. Galban
Serban Mateiescu
Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Essen, Germany
Harald H. Quick
Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Essen, Germany
Mark E. Ladd
Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Essen, Germany
Preferred Abstract (Original): 

MR elastography (MRE) has been shown to be capable of non-invasively measuring tissue elasticity even in deep-lying regions. Although limited studies have already been published examining in vivo muscle elasticity, it is still not clear over what range the in vivo elasticity values vary. The present study intends to produce further information by examining four different skeletal muscles in a group of 12 healthy volunteers in the age range of 27–38 years. The examinations were performed in the biceps brachii, the flexor digitorum profundus, the soleus and the gastrocnemius. The average shear modulus was determined to be 17.9 (5.5), 8.7 (2.8), 12.5 (7.3) and 9.9 (6.8) kPa for each muscle, respectively. To ascertain the reproducibility of the examination, the stiffness measurements in two volunteers were repeated seven times for the biceps brachii. These examinations yielded a mean shear modulus of 11.31.7 and 13.34.7 kPa for the two subjects. For elasticity reconstruction, an automated reconstruction algorithm is introduced which eliminates variation due to subjective manual image analysis. This study yields new information regarding the expected variation in muscle elasticity in a healthy population, and also reveals the expected variability of the MRE technique in skeletal muscle. Copyright # 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Syndicate content