Three-dimensional finite element analysis of dynamic ultrasound elastography of human nerves

doi:10.3877/cma.j.issn.1672-6448.2021.06.008

Abstract

Abstract:

Objective

To investigates the effect of surrounding soft tissues on the mechanical characterization of human nerves by dynamic ultrasound elastography.

Methods

A three-dimensional finite element model was built to explore the correlation between the group velocities of elastic waves along the nerve fibers and the mechanical properties of surrounding soft tissues for nerves with different diameters.

Results

When the radius of the nerve was 1.0 mm, the axially guided wave group velocity was about 20% lower than the shear wave velocity based on the classical body wave theory of neural materials; when the radius of the nerve was 1.5 mm and 2.0 mm, the axial guided wave group velocity obtained by the above wave velocity analysis method was close to the shear wave velocity of the nerve along the fiber direction. When the cross-sectional radius of the nerve was 2.0 mm, if the axial shear modulus of the tendon

μ L T

varied in a large range, it had little effect on the axial guided wave group velocity of the nerve, and the guided wave group velocity approached the shear wave velocity of the nerve material along the fiber direction; when the shear modulus of other peripheral soft tissues

μ

was 2 kPa, the axial guided wave group velocity in the nerve was about 17% higher than the shear wave velocity of the nerve material along the fiber direction predicted by the body wave theory; when the shear modulus

μ

was 5.88 kPa and 10 kPa, the guided wave group velocity was close to the shear wave velocity.

Conclusions

Our results show that the body wave theory for the shear wave propagating in an transversely isotropic solid can be used to infer the shear modulus along axial direction of a nerve when the diameter of a nerve d is greater than 3 mm and the wave velocities in the cross-section of a nerve are not much greater than those in surrounding soft tissues; otherwise, the error in the identified shear modulus of a nerve with the method involved in the common-used instrument can be up to 40%.

Key words: Median nerve, Elasticity imaging techniques, Shear wave

Yuxuan Jiang, Wenli Liu, Huijuan Wu, Chen Fang, Jialin Qian. Three-dimensional finite element analysis of dynamic ultrasound elastography of human nerves[J]. Chinese Journal of Medical Ultrasound (Electronic Edition), 2021, 18(06): 583-589.

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URL: https://chaosheng.cma-cmc.com.cn/EN/10.3877/cma.j.issn.1672-6448.2021.06.008

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Figures/Tables 8

References 26

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