Muscle injury detection based on ultrasound/photoacoustic dual-mode shear wave elastography

Real-time and quantitative detection of muscle elastic parameters is of great significance for the diagnosis and rehabilitation monitoring of sports injuries. Traditional palpation and MRI or CT detection have problems of strong subjectivity, high cost and poor real-time performance. We propose an ultrasound/photoacoustic dual-mode shear wave elastography (SWE) system, which generates shear waves by using two modes of acoustic radiation force and short-pulse laser to enhance the energy and penetration depth of the shear waves. Through the algorithm of shear wave velocity based on the sliding window, more robust elastic measurements are achieved. System calibration using phantoms of different concentrations verified that the system can achieve a shear wave velocity measurement accuracy of 0.1 m/s. In the experiment of ex-vivo porcine tenderloin tissue, the shear wave velocity was 3.29±0.3m/s in the healthy state and decreased to 1.71±0.5m/s after injury, reflecting a significant reduction in elasticity. Compared with the single ultrasound mode, photoacoustic shear waves have stronger energy and less attenuation, and are more sensitive in elastic detection. The dual-mode SWE system offers a high-precision, low-cost and real-time solution for biomechanical assessment of muscle tissue. In the future, it is expected to integrate photoacoustic imaging functions to achieve multi-parameter functional imaging and support the comprehensive assessment and clinical application of muscle injuries.