Building an open-source simulation platform of acoustic radiation force-based breast elastography.

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Biomedical Engineering
• Computational Modeling

Background:

• Ultrasound elastography techniques, including ARFI, SSI, and strain elastography, are crucial for differentiating breast tumors.
• Existing virtual simulation platforms for quasi-static elastography require extension for acoustic radiation force-based methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To extend a virtual simulation platform for quasi-static breast elastography to incorporate acoustic radiation force-based elastography.
• To enable validation of elastographic image pixels against known soft tissue properties (ground truth) in complex breast models.
• To enhance confidence in the interpretation of elastographic images.

Main Methods:

• The study integrated an ultrasound simulator (Field II), mesh generator (Tetgen), finite element solver (FEBio), and visualization package (VTK).
• Functionalities were extended to acoustic radiation force-based elastography simulations using a message passing mechanism.
• Three numerical breast models (uniform, simple inclusion, complex MRI-derived) were used to demonstrate the platform's capabilities.

Main Results:

• Simulations showed estimated shear wave speed (SWS) values within 4% of predetermined values in a uniform model.
• Hard inclusions in soft backgrounds were slightly underestimated in SWS, consistent with literature.
• Acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) images exhibited higher spatial resolution, while supersonic shear imaging (SSI) provided higher contrast.

Conclusions:

• The extended virtual breast elastography platform accurately simulates acoustic radiation force-based elastography.
• Results align with expectations and published findings, validating the platform's utility.
• The open-source platform facilitates transparent elastographic simulations and promotes collaborative research in breast imaging.