Performance of magnetic resonance elastography measuring the minimal displacements of the tissue generated by external oscillation and its clinical application.

本研究的目的是利用磁共振弹性成像技术（MRE）评估组织弹性，并尝试其临床应用。我们制备了两种不同刚度的组织状体模。体外振荡产生的体模位移最小，相位对比图像捕捉到不同的剪切波传播和体模的剪切模量与体模的刚度有很好的相关性。离体猪肝和激光消融产生的病理用于动物研究。剪切波通过动物肝脏传播，并且在MRE上消融组织比未消融组织更硬。离体人肝硬化肝脏的剪切模量与非肝硬化肝脏不同。由于肝硬化肝纤维化，肝硬化肝组织较非肝硬化肝组织僵硬。我们还测量了切除的人肝肿瘤的弹性。通过触诊和外部压迫装置，胆管细胞癌伴大量纤维化比周围肝脏硬，肝细胞癌比周围肝脏软。MRE技术估计的肿瘤弹性模量与触诊和测量的弹性值相关。磁共振弹性成像技术有望无创地评估人体的弹性参数，成为一种新的诊断工具。

The purpose of this study was to estimate tissue elasticity using magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) and to try its clinical application. We prepared a tissue-like phantom with two different stiffness. External oscillation generated minimum displacements of the phantom and phase contrast image captured different shear waves propagation and shear modulus of phantom were well correlated with stiffness of phantom. Ex vivo pig liver and pathology generated by laser ablation were used for animal study. Shear wave propagation through animal liver were shown and ablated tissue was stiffer than non-ablated tissue on MRE. Shear modulus of ex vivo human cirrhotic liver was different from non-cirrhotic liver. Cirrhotic liver was stiffer than non-cirrhotic liver because cirrhotic liver had fibrosis. We also measured elasticity of resected human liver tumor. Cholangiocellular carcinoma with massive fibrosis was stiffer than surrounding liver and hepatocellular carcinoma was softer than surrounding liver using palpation and external compression apparatus. Elastic modull of tumors estimated by MRE technique were correlated with palpation and measured elastic value. MRE had a potential to noninvasively estimate human's elastic properties and to be a new diagnostic tool.