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Abstract #0638

Improvements in Shear Modulus Reconstruction In-Vivo Breast Data Using a Viscoelasitc Material Model in Optimization Driven Mr Elastography

Matthew Mcgarry1, Irina Perreard2, Adam Jeffry Pattison1, Elijah van Houten3, John Weaver2, Keith Paulsen1

1Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, United States; 2Department of Radiology, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, United States; 3Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand


This work demonstrates the improvements in in-vivo breast shear modulus reconstruction gained through considering the effects of viscoelasticity in a model-based, optimization driven MR elastography algorithm. Three cases with 12 reconstructions are presented where increased shear modulus in the region of a malignant tumor is apparent using a viscoelastic material model. It is shown that using an undamped linear elastic model produces inconclusive results. The improvements are due to a reduction in the model-data mismatch by using a viscoelastic model to fit tissue, which is known to have a significant viscous component.