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Updated: Mar 25, 2026

A Probing Device for Quantitatively Measuring the Mechanical Properties of Soft Tissues during Arthroscopy
Published on: May 1, 2020
Acoustic particle palpation for measuring tissue elasticity
Hasan Koruk, Ahmed El Ghamrawy1, Antonios N Pouliopoulos1
1Noninvasive Surgery and Biopsy Laboratory, Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London , London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
We propose acoustic particle palpation-the use of sound to press a population of acoustic particles against an interface-as a method for measuring the qualitative and quantitative mechanical properties of materials. We tested the feasibility of this method by emitting ultrasound pulses across a tunnel of an elastic material filled with microbubbles. Ultrasound stimulated the microbubble cloud to move in the direction of wave propagation, press against the distal surface, and cause deformations relevant for elasticity measurements. Shear waves propagated away from the palpation site with a velocity that was used to estimate the material's Young's modulus.
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