Bisht, Sapna R.Sapna R.BishtPaul, AbhijitAbhijitPaulPatel, PanchamiPanchamiPatelThareja, PrachiPrachiTharejaMercado-Shekhar, Karla P.Karla P.Mercado-Shekhar2025-08-312025-08-312024-03-0110.1121/10.00252912-s2.0-85187784812http://repository.iitgn.ac.in/handle/IITG2025/2900538470185Quantitative, accurate, and standardized metrics are important for reliable shear wave elastography (SWE)-based biomarkers. For over two decades, the linear-elastic material assumption has been employed in SWE modes. In recent years, viscoelasticity estimation methods have been adopted in a few clinical systems. The current study aims to systematically quantify differences in SWE estimates obtained using linear-elastic and viscoelastic material assumptions. An acousto-mechanical simulation framework of acoustic radiation force impulse-based SWE was created to elucidate the effect of material viscosity and shear modulus on SWE estimates. Shear modulus estimates exhibited errors up to 72% when a numerical viscoelastic phantom was assessed as linearly elastic. Shear modulus estimates of polyvinyl alcohol phantoms between rheometry and SWE following the Kelvin-Voigt viscoelastic model assumptions were not significantly different. However, the percentage difference in shear modulus estimates between rheometry and SWE using the linear-elastic assumption was 50.1%-62.1%. In ex vivo liver, the percentage difference in shear modulus estimates between linear-elastic and viscoelastic methods was 76.1%. These findings provide a direct and systematic quantification of the potential error introduced when viscoelastic tissues are imaged with SWE following the linear-elastic assumption. This work emphasizes the need to utilize viscoelasticity estimation methods for developing robust quantitative imaging biomarkers.falseArticle152085242025-20361 March 20244arJournal3WOS:001183489200002