Whole Brain MRE with Guided Pressure Waves

Xavier Maitre¹, Emeline Lamain¹, Ralph Sinkus², Bruno Louis³, Luc Darrasse¹

For a given acquisition sequence, the sensitivity of MR-elastography relies on the strength of the shear waves which may be induced in the targeted organ. For the last ten years, the brain has proven to be rather well decoupled from any mechanical excitations by the natural shielding layers. A very different approach from current devices was taken here. By guiding pressure waves into the buccal cavity, it was possible to generate, throughout the brain, shear waves in the three directions such that whole brain MRE could be performed and 3D maps of dynamic and loss shear moduli could be reconstructed.