The goal of this scientific conference is to provide an international forum for the advancement of knowledge and methods for the measurement and imaging of the elastic attributes of soft tissues by ultrasound. The early efforts in this field were reported more than 20 years ago, but in the last decade there has been a steady increase in interest in this topic, with new methods and results (some from cases in vivo) now being routinely published. New applications for this methodology include breast and prostate cancer detection and evaluation, monitoring of transplant kidney rejection, cancer therapy monitoring using high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), characterization of intra-arterial plaque in cardiovascular disease, skin and tissue engineering, and muscle dynamics including the myocardium.

The conference provides a unique and unified forum that brings together researchers from several countries and disciplines. It is expected that it will ultimately contribute to the rapid development and clinical introduction of this new medical imaging technology. The conference has no parallel sessions and provides ample time for discussion.