Sonoelastography: the method of choice for evaluation of tissue elasticity

Abstract

Ultrasound devices and methodologies have been continuously evolving and becoming more important as tools in diagnostic medicine. Recently a new ultrasound diagnostic technique has been developed. Named sonoelastography, the technique enables evaluation of tissue elasticity and is based on differences in stiffness (hardness, compressibility, elasticity) of pathological changes and normal adjacent tissue. Sonoelastography (SE) is also known as Real-time tissue elastography (RTE), Real-time sonoelastography (RTSE), Tissue type imaging (TTI) and Ultrasound Strain Imaging Technology. It has been found useful in many medicine elds and adopted readily by clinicians of different specialties. It gives more information than conventional ultrasound in evaluation of tumors, liver disease, skeletal muscles, rheumatoid nodules and other pathological changes. This review covers the basics of elastography, its applications, instruments, techniques, the scoring system and the indications for elastography.

Elastography: A New Dimension in Oral and Maxillofacial Imaging

“…4 The term harder tissue is implied for pathological tissue since a tumor or suspicious cancerous growth is normally 5 to 28 times stiffer than normal soft tissue background. 2 The echo patterns that are generated before and after compression are processed. This results in an image called an 'Elastogram'.…”

“…It has a diagnostic specificity of about 93% and sensitivity up to 90%. 2 Ophir described it as a method for quantitative imaging of strain and elastic modulus distributions in soft tissues. Changes in the tissue elasticity is generally correlated with pathological phenomena.…”

Elastography of the Male Pelvic Region—Perspectives on Malignant Lesions

“…It may be defined as a dynamic technique developed to provide an estimated value of the elasticity/hardness of the tissue by measuring the degree of its distortion when subjected to an external force [ 7 ]. Elastography is a complementary technique to B-mode US, offering high diagnostic sensitivity regarding detection and assessment of the nature and structure of pathologic alterations in the body [ 8 , 9 ].…”

“…The shear modulus is based on the sliding of planes parallel to each other when forces are applied in parallel [ 16 ]. The volumetric modulus measures the tendency of a tissue to deform in all directions when applying a multidirectional force [ 1 , 9 , 16 ]. Poisson’s ratio measures the transverse deformation of a tissue when a longitudinal force is applied [ 15 , 16 ].…”

Estimation of Accuracy of B-Mode Sonography and Elastography in Differentiation of Benign and Malignant Lymph Nodes With Cytology as Reference Standard: A Prospective Study

“…Dr. George Ludwig in the United States of America first used ultrasound in medical applications more than 50 years ago. Since that time, ultrasonography devices, and methodologies have continuously progressed and become more important as tools in diagnostic medicine [ 12 - 14 ]. In the last few years, a significant breakthrough was brought by the inception of sonoelastography used to accurately identify the character of pathoanatomical changes and their stages [ 15 , 16 ].…”