Abstract
Mechanical tissue properties contribute to tissue shape change during development. Emerging evidence suggests that gradients of viscoelasticity correspond to cell movement and gene expression patterns. To accurately define mechanisms of morphogenesis, a combination of precise empirical measurements and theoretical approaches are required. Here, we review elastography as a method to characterize viscoelastic properties of tissue in vivo. We discuss its current clinical applications in mature tissues and its potential for characterizing embryonic tissues.
Highlights
Viscoelasticity, among other mechanical properties, is intrinsic to biological tissue
The name of elastography remains largely unchanged, it has become more common that quantitative values of various moduli, as we will discuss in detail in later sections, include information of material viscoelasticity
Once the data obtained from the tests, whether time-dependent or frequency-dependent, is fitted with the constitutive equation of a selected rheological model, the coefficient of each parameter within the model can be determined as an approximate representation of the viscoelastic properties of the material
Summary
Applications of Elastography for Measuring the Viscoelasticity of Biological Tissues In Vivo. Mechanical tissue properties contribute to tissue shape change during development. Emerging evidence suggests that gradients of viscoelasticity correspond to cell movement and gene expression patterns. To accurately define mechanisms of morphogenesis, a combination of precise empirical measurements and theoretical approaches are required. We review elastography as a method to characterize viscoelastic properties of tissue in vivo. We discuss its current clinical applications in mature tissues and its potential for characterizing embryonic tissues
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