Shear modulus estimation with vibrating needle stimulation.

An ultrasonic shear wave imaging technique is being developed for estimating the complex shear modulus of biphasic hydropolymers including soft biological tissues. A needle placed in the medium is vibrated along its axis to generate harmonic shear waves. Doppler pulses synchronously track particle motion to estimate shear wave propagation speed. Velocity estimation is improved by implementing a k-lag phase estimator. Fitting shear-wave speed estimates to the predicted dispersion relation curves obtained from two rheological models, we estimate the elastic and viscous components of the complex shear modulus. The dispersion equation estimated using the standard linear solid-body (Zener) model is compared with that from the Kelvin-Voigt model to estimate moduli in gelatin gels in the 50 to 450 Hz shear wave frequency bandwidth. Both models give comparable estimates that agree with independent shear rheometer measurements obtained at lower strain rates.