Ultrasonics Group (TEP-959), Department of Structural Mechanics, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain.
Biomechanics Group (TEC-12), Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria, ibs.GRANADA, 18012 Granada, Spain.
Sensors (Basel). 2020 Apr 22;20(8):2379. doi: 10.3390/s20082379.
The adoption of multiscale approaches by the biomechanical community has caused a major improvement in quality in the mechanical characterization of soft tissues. The recent developments in elastography techniques are enabling in vivo and non-invasive quantification of tissues' mechanical properties. Elastic changes in a tissue are associated with a broad spectrum of pathologies, which stems from the tissue microstructure, histology and biochemistry. This knowledge is combined with research evidence to provide a powerful diagnostic range of highly prevalent pathologies, from birth and labor disorders (prematurity, induction failures, etc.), to solid tumors (e.g., prostate, cervix, breast, melanoma) and liver fibrosis, just to name a few. This review aims to elucidate the potential of viscous and nonlinear elastic parameters as conceivable diagnostic mechanical biomarkers. First, by providing an insight into the classic role of soft tissue microstructure in linear elasticity; secondly, by understanding how viscosity and nonlinearity could enhance the current diagnosis in elastography; and finally, by compounding preliminary investigations of those elastography parameters within different technologies. In conclusion, evidence of the diagnostic capability of elastic parameters beyond linear stiffness is gaining momentum as a result of the technological and imaging developments in the field of biomechanics.
多尺度方法在生物力学领域的应用，使得软组织力学特性的机械描述质量得到了显著提高。弹性成像技术的最新进展使得组织力学特性的体内和非侵入式定量成为可能。组织的弹性变化与广泛的病理变化相关，这些变化源于组织的微观结构、组织学和生物化学。这方面的知识与研究证据相结合，为许多常见疾病提供了强大的诊断范围，包括出生和分娩障碍（早产、引产失败等）、实体瘤（如前列腺癌、宫颈癌、乳腺癌、黑色素瘤）和肝纤维化等。本综述旨在阐明粘性和非线性弹性参数作为有前途的诊断力学生物标志物的潜力。首先，通过深入了解软组织微观结构在线性弹性中的经典作用；其次，通过理解粘性和非线性如何增强弹性成像中的当前诊断；最后，综合不同技术中这些弹性参数的初步研究。总之，由于生物力学领域的技术和成像发展，弹性参数在超越线性刚度的诊断能力方面的证据越来越多。
