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F A Grieshaber

Publications and source records attributed to F A Grieshaber.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

Comparison of quantitative shear wave MR-elastography with mechanical compression tests.

The mechanical properties of in vivo soft tissue are generally determined by palpation, ultrasound measurements (US), and magnetic resonance elastography (MRE). While it has been shown that US and MRE are capable of quantitatively measuring soft tissue elasticity, there is still some uncertainty about the reliability of quantitative MRE measurements. For this reason it was decided to determine in vitro how MRE measurements correspond with other quantitative methods of measuring characteristic elasticity values. This article presents the results of experiments with tissue-like agar-agar gel phantoms in which the wavelength of strain waves was measured by shear wave MR elastography and the resultant shear modulus was compared with results from mechanical compression tests with small gel specimens. The shear moduli of nine homogeneous gels with various agar-agar concentrations were investigated. The elasticity range of the gels covered the elasticity range of typical soft tissues. The systematic comparison between shear wave MRE and compression tests showed good agreement between the two measurement techniques.

Agar↗

[Illustration of elasticity differences using MR-elastography].

Differences of elasticity in tissue phantoms with inclusions of different elasticity were mapped by means of MR elastography (MRE). This new magnetic resonance imaging technique is based on the phase shift of the MR signal by switching a motion sensitizing magnetic field gradient simultaneously with the coupling of a shear wave. Wave patterns showing snapshots of the shear wave that propagates through the investigated substance were depicted in tomographic phase images. It was investigated wether a visualization of differences in elasticity of soft tissues was possible on the basis of differences in the wavelength. For this purpose, tissue phantoms with cylindrical inclusions were produced from agar gels, with agar concentrations between 1.0 and 1.5%. The diameters of the inclusions were of the order of a few centimetres. For diameters as small as 4 cm, there were still distinct differences in the wavelength between the matrix and the inclusion. The results of our study suggest that this technique has the potential for future application as an additional imaging method for tumor detection.

Agar↗

[Mechanical characteristics of biological soft tissue].

In a detailed study mechanical properties of tendons, muscles, nerves, blood-vessels and skin of just slaughtered pigs have been investigated in nearly stationary stress tests. Tensile tests have produced tensile strength, ultimate stress and their appropriate strains, Young's modulus and the work up to fatigue of samples. In hysteresis tests the deformation work has been determined as a function of numbers of stress cycles. The hysteresis decrease with the number of stress cycles and approaches asymptotically to cero. By preconditioning of tendons, nerves and blood-vessels to steady state significant differences of strain at tensile strength and of Young's modulus have been established. Moreover for nerves the tests have revealed significant deviations of tensile strength. Bruise tests have been carried out with muscle tissue. For the described setup the limit force can be specified, at which pathological changes appear. Subsequently conducted histological investigations have demonstrated this. In dynamical bruise tests there appeared no pathological changes in muscle tissue in spite of higher transmitted energy.

Animals↗