About this Research Topic
Since the 1990s, elasticity imaging (elastography) has emerged as a discipline in its own right. The parallel evolution of MRI, sonography and optical methods has led to the in vivo and non-invasive measurement of various and increasingly complex mechanical parameters (viscoelasticity, anisotropy, hyperelasticity). Due to its specificity, each elastography modality has its own mechanical parameters, resolution, image quality and penetration properties, despite a potentially similar approach and reconstruction methods. Recent technical, methodological and algorithmic developments, as well as the contribution of new approaches (such as artificial intelligence), make it possible today to propose more and more complete and realistic mechanical properties of organs on various scales.
Today, it is more than necessary to evolve elastography towards acquisition and reconstruction processes for complex mechanical properties covering not only a wider range of mechanical behavior and larger scales. Thus, the objective is to propose studies aiming either at two main goals:
• Innovative developments in elastography (both on acquisition and reconstruction processes). A very particular emphasis is placed on the reconstruction methods in the elastography process to innovative in vivo mechanical measurements;
• Coupling of the different elastography modalities (mainly MRI, sonography and optical methods). This coupling can be done either by direct experimental or post-treatment combination of the imaging modalities or development of elastography multimodality tools (such as numerical simulations and gel phantoms).
This Research Topic aims at combining approaches and studies dealing at different scales, using different approaches and modalities for tissue elasticity imaging. The scope of this Research Topic can be summarized by the following specific themes:
• In vivo and ex vivo tissue elasticity imaging
• Innovative developments in optical, sono- and magnetic resonance elastography
• Multimodality elastography
• Multiscale elastography
• Original reconstruction process in elastography
• Artificial Intelligence in tissue elasticity imaging
• Numerical and experimental phantoms for tissue elasticity imaging
Today, it is more than necessary to evolve elastography towards acquisition and reconstruction processes for complex mechanical properties covering not only a wider range of mechanical behavior and larger scales. Thus, the objective is to propose studies aiming either at two main goals:
• Innovative developments in elastography (both on acquisition and reconstruction processes). A very particular emphasis is placed on the reconstruction methods in the elastography process to innovative in vivo mechanical measurements;
• Coupling of the different elastography modalities (mainly MRI, sonography and optical methods). This coupling can be done either by direct experimental or post-treatment combination of the imaging modalities or development of elastography multimodality tools (such as numerical simulations and gel phantoms).
This Research Topic aims at combining approaches and studies dealing at different scales, using different approaches and modalities for tissue elasticity imaging. The scope of this Research Topic can be summarized by the following specific themes:
• In vivo and ex vivo tissue elasticity imaging
• Innovative developments in optical, sono- and magnetic resonance elastography
• Multimodality elastography
• Multiscale elastography
• Original reconstruction process in elastography
• Artificial Intelligence in tissue elasticity imaging
• Numerical and experimental phantoms for tissue elasticity imaging
Keywords: Elasticity imaging, Elastography, Multiscale, Multimodality imaging, Phantom
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