Measuring shear wave speed in a volunteer's thyroid (IMAGE)

American Institute of Physics

Measuring shear wave speed in a volunteer's thyroid

Caption

When a person sings, the vibrations create waves in the tissue near the vocal tract called shear waves. If a tumor is present in the thyroid, the elasticity of its surrounding tissue increases, stiffening, and causing the shear waves to accelerate. Using ultrasound imaging to measure these waves, researchers can determine the elasticity of the thyroid tissue. Left: Using the technique to prove the shear wave speed in a volunteer's thyroid. Right: The speed of shear waves in the thyroid measured with V-PE.

Credit

Steve Beuve

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