High-frequency shear wave MR elastography of parotid glands: custom driver design and preliminary results

Parotid glands are one of the most common sites for salivary gland tumors. Conventional imaging techniques have limited usefulness in the quantitative assessment of the parotid glands, making it difficult to differentiate between healthy tissue and tumors, as well as between benign and malignant tumors. Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) is a non-invasive technique that may potentially overcome these limitations. Nevertheless, due to the size of the parotid gland, increased elastographic resolution is required. This may be achieved by applying shear waves at higher frequencies. However, it also results in stronger attenuation, making the illumination of the parotid challenging. Here, we describe a novel passive driver tailored to the anatomy of the human face, which minimizes the distance shear waves need to travel from the source to the area of interest and thus decreases shear wave attenuation, making high-frequency shear wave MRE feasible.