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Updated: Feb 17, 2026
Magnetic Resonance Elastography Methodology for the Evaluation of Tissue Engineered Construct Growth
Published on: February 9, 2012
An investigation into the variability between different shear wave elastography systems in muscle
Abdulrahman M Alfuraih1, Philip O'Connor2, Ai Lyn Tan3
1-Radiology and Medical Imaging Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Kharj, Saudi Arabia. -Leeds Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine, Chapel Allerton Hospital, University of Leeds, United Kingdom. -NIHR Leeds Biomedical Research Centre, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, United Kingdom.. mt14ama@leeds.ac.uk.
This study found that a new shear wave elastography (SWE) system shows reliable muscle elasticity measurements. While comparable to an established system, its reliability varied with acquisition methods.
Area of Science:
- Musculoskeletal Ultrasound
- Biomedical Engineering
- Medical Imaging Physics
Background:
- Shear wave elastography (SWE) is crucial for assessing muscle stiffness.
- Establishing the reliability of new SWE systems and acquisition methods is vital for clinical application.
- Inter-system agreement for muscle elasticity measurements requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the reliability of a novel SWE system for measuring resting muscle elasticity.
- To compare the performance of the new SWE system against an established system.
- To determine the impact of different acquisition methods (ROI size, orientation) on SWE reliability.
Main Methods:
- A new SWE system was tested on the rectus femoris muscle using various region of interest (ROI) sizes and orientations (longitudinal, oblique, transverse).
- Five distinct locations within the muscle were analyzed.
- Results were compared with an established state-of-the-art SWE system to assess inter-system reproducibility.
Main Results:
- The medium ROI size with longitudinal orientation at the lateral location yielded the lowest coefficient of variance (4.3%) and highest reliability for the new system (ICC=0.76).
- The established system demonstrated almost perfect agreement (ICC=0.92).
- Inter-system reproducibility for the optimal settings was 0.71, with a mean velocity difference of 0.07 m/s.
Conclusions:
- Acquisition method significantly influences SWE results in muscles.
- The new SWE system demonstrates good reliability for muscle elasticity assessment.
- While comparable, the new system's reliability is not as high as the established system, highlighting the importance of optimized acquisition parameters.
