Finite element simulations to support the measurement and analysis of Shear Wave Dispersion

In Shear Wave Elastography, quantitative tissue characterization for dispersive shear wave propagation relies on phase speed analysis, which fits a theoretical relationship to the measured frequency-dependent wave velocity. However, this approach is challenged when applied to soft tissues with complex geometries and/or advanced material models, as there are no theoretical dispersion equations available. Therefore, we investigated the potential of an alternative way, i.e. numerical modal analysis, to dispose of a dispersion relationship for simplified tissue settings. The good agreement between the retrieved dispersion characteristics via modal analysis to the ones obtained from theory and temporal finite element simulations, demonstrates the promising power of this technique.