UC Irvine

Elastography has emerged as a groundbreaking technique in recent decades, playing a pivotal role in enhancing medical imaging, especially in the realms of ultrasound diagnostics and magnetic resonance imaging. This research study delved deeply into these applications, distilling core procedures, effective methodologies, and universal computational strategies. It represents a pivotal advancement in proposing CT-based Dynamic Elastography (CTDE), establishing the theoretical and practical framework for its study and application.Venturing further, this research conducted meticulous virtual experiments to validate hypotheses and methodologies in CT-based elastography. This study utilized the finite element method to conduct simulations, which can obtain the same results as real-world dynamic vibration and CT-based imaging. Through analyzing CT data, the infinitesimal displacement generated as mechanical waves propagate through various tissues and materials can be measured, thereby determining the elasticity map. The two-dimensional simulations yielded a clear modulus map, not only affirming the proposed CTDE method but also laying a solid foundation for three-dimensional exploration. In the realm of three-dimensional experiments, we utilized CT imaging data, from which both displacement and modulus maps were generated upon processing. Our analysis revealed that this elastography technique refines the contours within CT images, supplementing them with comprehensive modulus data, and thus equips physicians with an advanced diagnostic tool for the precise identification of potential tissue anomalies. Looking forward, the prospects of CT elastography hold significant promise, indicative of a forthcoming era in advanced medical imaging that could revolutionize both research and clinical practice.