A novel magnetic resonance elastography transducer concept based on a rotational eccentric mass: preliminary experiences with the gravitational transducer

BACKGROUND: Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) is used to non-invasively estimate biomechanical tissue properties via the imaging of propagating mechanical shear waves. Several factors including mechanical transducer design, MRI sequence design and viscoelastic reconstruction influence data quality and hence the reliability of the derived biomechanical properties. PURPOSE: To design and characterize a novel mechanical MRE transducer concept based on a rotational eccentric mass, coined the gravitational transducer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: and its 2nd harmonic, a known cause of error in the reconstruction of biomechanical properties as is explored in more detail in numerical simulations here. No formal statistical testing was performed in this proof-of-principle paper. RESULTS: , in accordance with theory. Phantom and in vivo data show low nonlinearity and excellent data quality. CONCLUSION: ratio result in low nonlinearity and high data fidelity in both phantom and in vivo examples.