An automatic differentiation-based gradient method for inversion of the shear wave equation in magnetic resonance elastography: specific application in fibrous soft tissues.

Quantitative and accurate measurement of in vivo mechanical properties using dynamic elastography has been the scope of many research efforts over the past two decades. Most of the shear-wave-based inverse approaches for magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) make the assumption of isotropic viscoelasticity. In this paper, we propose a quantitative gradient method for inversion of the shear wave equation in anisotropic media derived from a full waveform description using analytical viscoelastic Green formalism and automatic differentiation. The abilities and performances of the proposed identification method are first evaluated on numerical phantoms calculated in a transversely isotropic medium, and subsequently on experimental MRE data measured on an isotropic hydrogel phantom, on an anisotropic cryogel phantom and on an ex vivo fibrous muscle. The experiments are carried out by coupling circular shear wave profiles generated by acoustic radiation force and MRE acquisition of the wave front. Shear modulus values obtained by our MRE method are compared to those obtained by rheometry in the isotropic hydrogel phantom, and are found to be in good agreement despite non-overlapping frequency ranges. Both the cryogel and the ex vivo muscle are found to be anisotropic. Stiffness values in the longitudinal direction are found to be 1.8 times and 1.9 times higher than those in the transverse direction for the cryogel and the muscle, respectively. The proposed method shows great perspectives and substantial benefits for the in vivo quantitative investigation of complex mechanical properties in fibrous soft tissues.