MR Elastography System for Breast Cancer Detection
Abstract
Early diagnosis of breast cancer, which is critical for favorable clinical outcomes, is difficult because of the need to detect small tumors. One physical property that clearly distinguishes healthy from cancerous tissue is mechanical stiffness or hardness. Researchers have attempted to combine external mechanical stimulation and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to quantitatively measure the Young's modulus of tissue throughout both the breast and the prostate. This technique, Magnetic Resonance Elastography (MRE) has been called "palpation at a distance." One of the most challenging technical aspects of MRE is the solution of the "inverse problem," i.e., quantitatively determining Young's modulus from MRI-measured tissue displacement data. Creare is developing analytical solution techniques to improve the efficiency and robustness of the inverse problem solution. One technique, which combines an adjoint method for calculating the gradient of the goodness-of-fit metric combined with a quasi-Newton algorithm, appears to provide a substantial improvement in efficiency. We are also investigating improvements in the physical modeling on which the inverse method is based, primarily in the representation of tissue compressibility.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2001
- Accession Number
- ADA398553
Entities
People
- Marc A. Kenton
- Robert J. Kline-schoder
Organizations
- Creare, Inc.