TeMPeST I-D: An instrument for measuring solid organ soft tissue properties

SummaryMeasuring the material properties of living tissue is a complex problem, not only because of the nature of the tissues, but also because of the limits imposed by minimizing or preventing damage to the test subject. As a result a wide variety of techniques have been and continue to be developed, including non-invasive ones, employing external stimulation and imaging technology, as well as invasive techniques which directly contact and deform the tissue to be studied. No one technique is suitable to capture the full range of behaviors, including non-linear stiffness, visco-elasticity, anisotropy and inhomogeneity. However each has its own advantages, and can be used to contribute data to and cross check the results of the others.