Multifrequency MR Elastography on Human Thigh Muscle in Relaxation and in Contraction

Dieter Klatt¹, Uwe Hamhaber², Sebastian Papazoglou¹, Katrin Rettig¹, Hasan Nuzha¹, Juergen Braun², Ingolf Sack¹

In this study the quadriceps femoris muscles of four volunteers were examined in relaxation and in contraction by multifrequency MR elastography. The rheological springpot model was used for calculating viscoelastic parameters by fitting its dispersion relations to the measured values of the complex shear modulus. Both parameters of the springpot model, α and μ, revealed higher values in the contracted muscle than in the relaxed muscle. The correlation of the α-parameter with the condition of the muscle indicates that muscle contraction causes a structural reordering of tissue building blocks.