Researchers from the University of Sheffield have developed a new ultrasound method that can measure the level of tension in human tissue for the first time — a key indicator of disease. The breakthrough by Sheffield’s Dr Artur Gower, together with researchers from Harvard Medical School, Tsinghua University and the University of Galway, could be used to build new ultrasound machines that are able to better diagnose abnormal tissue, scarring and cancer.

谢菲尔德大学的研究人员开发了一种新的超声波方法，可以首次测量人体组织的张力水平，这是疾病的一个关键指标。谢菲尔德大学的阿图尔·高尔博士与哈佛医学院、清华大学和戈尔韦大学的研究人员一起取得的这一突破，可用于制造新的超声机器，从而更好地诊断异常组织、疤痕和癌症。

Ultrasounds use sound waves to create images of organs inside the human body. However, the images produced by the current techniques used in health care aren’t usually enough to diagnose whether tissues are abnormal. To improve diagnosis, the researchers developed a way to measure forces such as tension by using an ultrasound machine. Tension is generated in all living tissue, so measuring it can indicate whether tissue is functioning properly or if it’s affected by disease.

超声波利用声波产生人体内部器官的图像。然而，目前用于医疗保健的技术所产生的图像通常不足以诊断组织是否异常。为了改善诊断，研究人员开发了一种方法，通过使用超声波机来测量拉力等力。所有活组织都会产生张力，因此测量张力可以显示组织是否正常运作，或者是否受到疾病的影响。

The researchers harnessed a technique from a rail project at the University of Sheffield, which uses sound waves to measure tension along railway lines. The technique, used both for rail and medical ultrasound, relies on a simple principle: the greater the tension, the faster sound waves propagate. Using this principle, the researchers developed a method that sends two sound waves in different directions. The tension is then related to the speed of the waves by using mathematical theories developed by the researchers.

研究人员利用了谢菲尔德大学铁路项目的一项技术，该技术使用声波测量铁路沿线的张力。这项技术既用于轨道超声波，也用于医疗超声波，它依赖于一个简单的原理：张力越大，声波传播得越快。利用这一原理，研究人员开发了一种向不同方向发送两种声波的方法。然后，通过研究人员开发的数学理论，张力与波的速度有关。

Previous ultrasound methods have struggled to show the difference between stiff tissue or tissue under tension. The new technique is said to be the first capable of measuring tension for any type of soft tissue, without knowing anything about it. The researchers described the technique in the journal Science Advances and how they used it to measure tension inside a muscle.

以前的超声波方法一直在努力显示僵硬组织和处于张力下的组织之间的区别。据说，这项新技术是第一个能够在不了解任何软组织的情况下测量任何类型软组织张力的技术。研究人员在《科学进展》杂志上描述了这项技术，以及他们如何用它来测量肌肉内部的张力。