Karimi Reza, Zhu Ting, Bouma Brett E, Mofrad Mohammad R Kaazempur
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
Cardiovasc Eng. 2008 Dec;8(4):191-202. doi: 10.1007/s10558-008-9061-0.
A new method is proposed for estimation of nonlinear elastic properties of soft tissues. The proposed approach involves a combination of nonlinear finite element methods with a genetic algorithm for estimating tissue stiffness profile. A multipoint scheme is introduced that satisfies the uniqueness condition, improves the estimation performance, and reduces the sensitivity to image noise. The utility of the proposed techniques is demonstrated using optical coherence tomography (OCT) images. The approach is, however, applicable to other imaging systems and modalities, as well, provided a reliable image registration scheme. The proposed algorithm is applied to realistic (2D) and idealized (3D) arterial plaque models, and proves promising for the estimation of intra-plaque distribution of nonlinear material properties.
提出了一种用于估计软组织非线性弹性特性的新方法。所提出的方法涉及将非线性有限元方法与遗传算法相结合，以估计组织刚度分布。引入了一种满足唯一性条件、提高估计性能并降低对图像噪声敏感度的多点方案。使用光学相干断层扫描（OCT）图像证明了所提出技术的实用性。然而，只要有可靠的图像配准方案，该方法也适用于其他成像系统和模态。所提出的算法应用于实际的（二维）和理想化的（三维）动脉斑块模型，并证明在估计斑块内非线性材料特性分布方面很有前景。
