Editors’ introduction

This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides an overview of ultrasound physics and imaging theory, a primer on mechanical stimulation of tissue and its response, and ultrasound‐based methods for motion estimation. It provides an in‐depth theoretical background on continuum mechanics and wave propagation. The book explores the methods that have been developed based on quasi‐static compression and endogenous excitations. It describes methods based on external vibration for generating propagating waves in the tissue. The book explains the methods that use mechanical and acoustic radiation force to perturb the tissue within the organ itself with transient excitations. It then provides insights into emerging areas that are being explored in the elastography field. The book reviews clinical application areas, including measurements made in abdominal organs, cardiovascular tissues, the musculoskeletal system, and breast and thyroid tissues.