Acoustic radiation force induced elastography (ARFIRE): A new method to characterize blood clot viscoelastic properties

In the context of non-invasive deep vein thrombosis (DVT) diagnostic, a new method derived from ultrasound (US) dynamic elastography is presented, aiming in-vivo measurement of blood clot viscoelastic properties. By taking advantage of remote mechanical excitation provided by an US radiation force and using mechanical resonance phenomenon, human whole blood coagulation was monitored in-vitro. From induced temporal displacements, resonance frequencies of blood samples were measured over time and used to estimate clot shear moduli, using a dedicated finite element model in an inverse problem approach. Results were in agreement with shear moduli obtained using a common time-to-peak (TTP) algorithm. Finally, it was shown that eigenmodes of vibration are viscosity dependent and thus might provide additional information to elasticity alone.