Stylized kidney with color overlay representing shear wave speed in ultrasound elastography

Kidney Health Check: The Latest in Non-Invasive Elastography

Theo Raines in Health & Wellness December 2025 • 4 min read.

"Discover how full-field-of-view time-harmonic elastography (THE) offers a breakthrough in kidney assessment, providing detailed and reproducible insights without the need for biopsies."

Maintaining healthy kidneys is vital, as they play a crucial role in filtering waste and regulating blood pressure. Traditionally, doctors have relied on blood tests to estimate kidney function. However, these tests don't reveal the underlying causes of any issues. Kidney biopsies, while informative, are invasive and carry risks.

That's why researchers are constantly seeking non-invasive methods to assess kidney health. One promising technique is ultrasound elastography (USE), which evaluates tissue stiffness. A new approach within this field, called time-harmonic elastography (THE), offers detailed, full-field-of-view maps of kidney stiffness.

This article explores how THE works, its potential benefits for understanding kidney health, and how it compares to traditional methods. We'll delve into the findings of a recent study that demonstrates THE's reproducibility and ability to differentiate stiffness in different kidney regions.

What is Time-Harmonic Elastography (THE) and How Does It Work?

Stylized kidney with color overlay representing shear wave speed in ultrasound elastography

Time-harmonic elastography (THE) is an advanced ultrasound technique that assesses tissue stiffness by measuring shear wave speed (SWS). Unlike conventional methods that only measure small areas, THE can generate full-field-of-view maps, providing a comprehensive overview of the entire kidney. Here's a breakdown of the process:

A specialized vibration bed, equipped with a loudspeaker, generates low-frequency vibrations. These vibrations create shear waves that travel through the body and into the kidneys.

An ultrasound device captures these shear waves.
Data is then processed by a computer to create a detailed elastogram, a visual map showing the shear wave speed (SWS) throughout the kidney. Areas with higher SWS are stiffer, while areas with lower SWS are softer.

This technique allows doctors to visualize and quantify the stiffness of different kidney regions, potentially identifying areas of concern that might otherwise go unnoticed. This technology is non-invasive, making it a safer alternative to biopsies for initial assessment and monitoring.

The Future of Kidney Assessment: Non-Invasive and Detailed

Time-harmonic elastography represents a significant step forward in non-invasive kidney assessment. By providing detailed, reproducible maps of kidney stiffness, THE offers a valuable tool for understanding kidney health and potentially detecting problems earlier.

While further research is ongoing, the initial findings are promising. THE's ability to differentiate stiffness in different kidney regions and its high reproducibility make it a strong candidate for clinical applications.

As technology advances, non-invasive techniques like THE are likely to play an increasingly important role in preventative healthcare, enabling earlier detection and more effective management of kidney disease. This could significantly reduce the need for invasive procedures like biopsies and improve patient outcomes.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2018.01.007, Alternate LINK

Title: Full-Field-Of-View Time-Harmonic Elastography Of The Native Kidney

Subject: Acoustics and Ultrasonics

Journal: Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Authors: Stephan Rodrigo Marticorena Garcia, Markus Grossmann, Sophia Theresa Lang, Manh Nguyen Trong, Michael Schultz, Jing Guo, Bernd Hamm, Jürgen Braun, Ingolf Sack, Heiko Tzschätzsch

Published: 2018-05-01

Everything You Need To Know

What is Time-Harmonic Elastography (THE) and how does it work?

Time-harmonic elastography (THE) is an advanced ultrasound technique. It assesses kidney tissue stiffness by measuring shear wave speed (SWS). This non-invasive method uses a vibration bed to generate low-frequency vibrations that create shear waves. An ultrasound device captures these waves, and a computer processes the data to create a detailed elastogram. This elastogram is a visual map that shows the shear wave speed (SWS) throughout the kidney, highlighting areas of varying stiffness.

Why is Time-Harmonic Elastography (THE) important for kidney health?

The significance of Time-harmonic elastography (THE) lies in its ability to provide a non-invasive and detailed assessment of kidney health. It allows for a comprehensive overview of the entire kidney, unlike traditional methods. This is crucial because it offers a safer alternative to invasive biopsies, enabling earlier detection of potential kidney problems. The detailed maps of kidney stiffness can help identify areas of concern that might be missed by other methods.

How does Time-Harmonic Elastography (THE) compare to traditional methods of assessing kidney health, like biopsies?

Kidney biopsies are invasive and carry risks. Time-harmonic elastography (THE) addresses the limitations of traditional methods like blood tests and biopsies. Blood tests provide an estimate of kidney function but don't reveal the underlying causes of any issues. Biopsies are invasive and carry risks. THE offers a non-invasive alternative, providing detailed insights into kidney stiffness, potentially reducing the need for biopsies, and enabling earlier and safer monitoring.

What are the potential benefits of using Time-Harmonic Elastography (THE) for kidney assessment?

THE's potential benefits are substantial. The full-field-of-view maps of kidney stiffness provide a comprehensive view, allowing for the detection of kidney problems earlier. This early detection is crucial for effective treatment and management of kidney diseases. Furthermore, THE's non-invasive nature makes it a safer option compared to biopsies, reducing the risks associated with invasive procedures.

How does Time-Harmonic Elastography (THE) differ from other methods of assessing kidney health?

Time-harmonic elastography (THE) is an innovative ultrasound technique. It uses a specialized vibration bed with a loudspeaker to generate low-frequency vibrations, creating shear waves. An ultrasound device captures these shear waves, and a computer processes the data. This creates a detailed elastogram, a visual map illustrating shear wave speed (SWS) throughout the kidney. This approach is different than conventional methods, which only measure small areas, because THE generates full-field-of-view maps, providing a comprehensive overview of the entire kidney.