Acoustic Radiation Force-based model-free viscoelastic characterization: Comparison study

Viscoelasticity can be quantified in a model-independent manner with ultrasound-based methods such as Acoustic Radiation Force Induced Creep-Recovery (ARFICR) and Attenuation Measuring Ultrasound Shearwave Elastography (AMUSE). The extent of viscoelastic characterization with ARFICR and AMUSE have not been evaluated. In this study, finite element method (FEM) simulations and tissue mimicking phantoms are used to validate and characterize the extent of viscoelastic quantification with ARFICR and AMUSE methods. The results suggest that ARFICR and AMUSE can measure material viscoelastic properties reliably in materials with dynamic viscosity of 0.5 Pa·s and greater. Moreover, the results showed a frequency-dependent storage modulus and dynamic viscosity in tissue mimicking phantoms.