Mechanical Properties of Soft Tissues with MR Elastography Technique

The principle of magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) is the focus of this book. The functional and structural properties of the skeletal muscle (in passive and active conditions), the liver and the kidney are characterized in particular. Viscoelatic properties are calculated with multifrequency MRE tests and rheological models and results are compared between MR and ultrasound elastography techniques. MRE is applied to pathological muscles and fibrotic livers to follow the effects of the treatment. The authors also analyze MRE post-processing, a key stage in diagnosis. In later chapters a phantom mimicking the soft tissues is created and a FE model is developed in order to simulate wave displacement.