Quantitative evaluation of chronic liver by fusion of viscoelasticity measurement and tissue structure estimation

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K20705
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 90130:Medical systems-related
• Research Institution: Tohoku University
• Principal Investigator: MORI Shohei 東北大学, 工学研究科, 助教 (50815149)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 超音波医学 / 定量診断 / 肝炎 / びまん性肝疾患 / 粘弾性

Outline of Final Research Achievements

For a quantitative and early diagnosis of chronic liver disease, we examined a mechanical property measurement method and a tissue structure estimation method of liver tissue. In the mechanical property measurement, a local excitation method was constructed for the local measurement of viscoelasticity. In the estimation of liver tissue structure, the possibility of discrimination of the fibrotic liver tissue and fatty liver tissue based on the analysis of envelope statistics property was evaluated. This study demonstrated the possibility of the simultaneous evaluation of the mechanical property and the morphometric characteristics of liver tissue by ultrasound.

Free Research Field

医用超音波工学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

慢性肝疾患の超音波診断は，低侵襲性・リアルタイム性・簡便性の観点から有用であり，定量診断法について様々な研究が進められているが，肝生検に代わる確定診断法はいまだに確立されていない。この理由のひとつに，生体組織の音響特性が複雑であることが挙げられる。本研究は，複数の音響特性を同時に計測して複合的に評価することで，慢性肝疾患の安定な定量診断法を確立しようとするものであり，その社会的意義は大きい。さらに，本研究は定量診断法の開発に留まらず，生体組織構造と音響特性の関係を基礎から明らかにするという超音波医学分野の根幹にも貢献するものであり，学術的意義も大きいと言える。