1. Estimating the viscoelastic anisotropy of human skin through high‐frequency ultrasound elastography.
- Author
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Wu, Yu‐Chen, Xu, Guo‐Xuan, Chen, Chien, Chuang, Yi‐Hsiang, and Huang, Chih‐Chung
- Subjects
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THEORY of wave motion , *SKIN imaging , *IMAGING phantoms , *ULTRASONIC imaging , *ELASTIC modulus , *LAMB waves - Abstract
Background: The skin is the largest organ of the human body and serves distinct functions in protecting the body. The viscoelastic properties of the skin play a key role in supporting the skin‐healing process, also it may be changed due to some skin diseases. Propose: In this study, high‐frequency ultrasound (HFUS) elastography based on a Lamb wave model was used to noninvasively assess the viscoelastic anisotropy of human skin. Method: Elastic waves were generated through an external vibrator, and the wave propagation velocity was measured through 40 MHz ultrafast HFUS imaging. Through the use of a thin‐layer gelatin phantom, HFUS elastography was verified to produce highly accurate estimates of elasticity and viscosity. In a human study involving five volunteers, viscoelastic anisotropy was assessed by rotating an ultrasound transducer 360°. Results: An oval‐shaped pattern in the elasticity of human forearm skin was identified, indicating the high elastic anisotropy of skin; the average elastic moduli were 24.90 ± 6.63 and 13.64 ± 2.67 kPa along and across the collagen fiber orientation, respectively. The average viscosity of all the recruited volunteers was 3.23 ± 0.93 Pa·s. Conclusions: Although the examined skin exhibited elastic anisotropy, no evident viscosity anisotropy was observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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