Shear wave elasticity imaging (SWEI) was employed to track acoustic radiation force (ARF)-induced shear waves in the myocardium of a beating heart. Shear waves were generated in and tracked through the myocardium of the left ventricular free wall (LVFW) in an in vivo heart that was exposed through a thoracotomy; matched studies were also preformed on an ex vivo myocardial specimen. Average shear wave velocities ranged from 2.22 to 2.53 m/s for the ex vivo specimen and 1.5 to 2.9 m/s (1.5-2.09 m/s during diastole; 2.9 m/s during systole) for in vivo specimens. Despite the known rotation of myocardial fiber orientation with tissue depth, there was no statistically significant shear wave velocity depth dependence observed in any of the experimental trials.

Date Published: 13 March 2009
PDF: 8 pages
Proc. SPIE 7265, Medical Imaging 2009: Ultrasonic Imaging and Signal Processing, 726512 (13 March 2009); doi: 10.1117/12.813734

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 7265:
Medical Imaging 2009: Ultrasonic Imaging and Signal Processing
Stephen A. McAleavey; Jan D'hooge, Editor(s)