Ultrasound vibro-elastography for assessing mechanical properties of porcine reproductive tissues in an ex vivo model

Background: The aim of this study was to use ultrasound vibro-elastography (UVE) for measuring surface wave speed and assessing mechanical properties of ex vivo porcine reproductive tissues, including the uterus, bladder, cornua and cervix. Methods: In UVE, a 0.1-s harmonic vibration at low frequency was generated on the tissue surface with a handheld shaker. A linear-array ultrasound probe was used to measure the resulting surface wave propagation. Surface wave speeds of tissues were measured in the frequency range of 100–300 Hz. Mechanical properties of the tissue were calculated based on wave speed dispersion with frequency. Findings: The obtained results showed that the surface wave speeds of porcine bladder, cervix, cornua and uterus increased with frequency. There were no statistically significant differences in the wave speeds or mechanical properties among the porcine bladder, cervix, cornua and uterus. Interpretation: Experimental data obtained in this study may be used as a reference to study in vivo surface wave speed or mechanical properties for porcine or human reproductive tissues.