Purpose
To analyse a preliminary series of cases from an ongoing prospective multi-centre international study to evaluate the impact of adding ShearWave™ Elastography (SWE) features to the BI-RADS® classification of breast masses.
Methods and Materials
ShearWave™ Elastography imaging techniqueShear wave elastography is a novel technique for obtaining elastograms of soft tissue by tracking the transverse shear waves that spread laterally away from a mechanical disturbance of the tissue. They have special properties that differ from both the longitudinal waves of conventional ultrasound imaging (which relies on the bulk modulus of elasticity) and from conventional compression elastography. They travel at a few metres per second, depending on the visco-elastic properties of the tissue, and are rapidly attenuated, so that for practically...
Results
Out of the 224 cases submitted for the statistical analysis, the 2nd lesions in 2 patients were discarded. Therefore, the analysis of reproducibility was achieved on 222 cases.The reproducibility of SWE size measurements and the maximum and mean elasticity measurements were very high (IOR> 0.93, 0.84 and 0.88 respectively, maximum = 1). Thirty more cases were discarded from the logistic regression analysis due to missing data. This 192-lesion sample showed 12 BI-RADS® 2 lesions (all benign), 62 BI-RADS® 3 lesions of which 56 were benign...
Conclusion
This novel SWE system using acoustic radiation force to produce shear waves that are tracked using ultrafast ultrasound imaging proved successful in this study of breast masses. The good reproducibility of the data obtained is consistent with the real-time elastography images and stable movies produced, a feature which makes the system easy to use. The added features that led to the highest diagnostic performance (mean and maximum elasticity values in kPa, homogeneity and shape of the SWE image) depend directly on the special features of...
References
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Personal Information
D. O. Cosgrove, Imperial College, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London W12 0HS/UK
[email protected]. J. Doré, Independent statistician, London/UKC. Cohen-Bacrie, SuperSonic Imagine, Les Jardins de la Duranne - Bat E, rue René Descartes, F- 13857 Aix-en-Provence Cedex/FRJ-P Henry, SuperSonic Imagine, Les Jardins de la Duranne - Bat E, rue René Descartes, F- 13857 Aix-en-Provence Cedex/ FR