Shear wave velocity imaging with Acoustic Radiation Force (ARF).
Shear wave velocity imaging provides a direct estimate of the Young's or the shear modulus without employing strain. This can be done by generating a shear wave and measuring its velocity. Shear wave velocity, cs , = v(G/?), where G is the shear modulus, and ? is density. The shear wave is produced using an external push either mechanically or via ARF and is tracked using standard speckle tracking techniques. This method has been used to estimate liver fibrosis, and could be used to evaluate masses in the liver and elsewhere in the abdomen.
Correlation Coefficient Imaging
Cysts do not contain speckle. So any signal in a cyst is either noise or floating debris. Yet frequently, cysts contain echoes, making it difficult to determine if a cyst is solid or not. However, if one applies strain imaging to these "cysts", standard speckle tracking methods will quickly decorrelate when trying to track echoes. In the breast, this method has proven very accurate in distinguishing small cysts from solid masses. One would imagine that it would work in the abdomen as well.
Crohn's Disease
A big issue in Crohn's disease is whether the disease is still in the acute, inflammatory phase or in the chronic, fibrotic phase. The former is treated with strong anti-inflammatory agents, while the latter is treated with surgery. Hence, making the distinction is critical, and often extremely difficult. Elasticity imaging may be able to separate these two conditions.