PROCEEDINGS of the Second International Conference on the Ultrasonic Measurement and Imaging of Tissue Elasticity

Last year was the inaugural year of this Conference. We expected a turnout of 35-40 delegates, but had 92. This year we are planning for 100 registrants from 16 countries, and we have accepted 72 scientific abstracts. We are heartened by the many delegates that are returning this year, as well as the many new ones. We feel that this attendance demonstrates the widespread surge of interest and excitement in the emerging field of imaging the elastic properties of tissue, and we hope that this Conference will be a catalyst for accelerated development of the field. We have preserved the general format of the Conference this year. Based on your Conference Evaluation comments from last year, we have added two Sunday afternoon Tutorial/Panel Discussion sessions. We are indebted to Jonathan Rubin, MD, PhD from the University of Michigan, who has agreed to moderate these sessions. The first one will cover techniques for measuring tissue elastic properties in vitro, while the second will cover techniques for imaging tissue elastic attributes in vivo. There should be ample time for discussion at the end of each session. This year we have added a small instrumentation exhibit which will open on Sunday evening at the Conference Reception and will continue to run through Tuesday afternoon. We are pleased that Hitachi Medical Corporation and Medison Corporation have chosen this Conference to introduce their new elasticity imaging instruments. We have chosen Corpus Christi, Texas as the Conference venue this year because we felt that the city and the Omni Hotel provided an attractive, quiet location and a good value that should contribute to a successful conference. At the Conference dinner on Monday evening, Mr. Rick Stryker, Director of the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History, has graciously volunteered to present a talk on the international scientific research and replication efforts of the Christopher Columbus Ships of Discovery. These replica ships have sailed over from Spain and are now housed here in the Museum. We would like to thank the delegates, the reviewers and the session chairs for their continuing support of the Conference. Special thanks go again to our support staff at the Conference Secretariat office, Ms. Manette Price and Ms. Pam Clark, who have spent much time and effort in the many organizational aspects of the Conference, including the hotel, meals, website, correspondence and finances. Special thanks go also to Ms Karen Ophir who …