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Liver Diseases pp 513–521Cite as

Ultrasound Elastography

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Abstract

Ultrasound elastography (USE) of the liver is highlighted as a non-invasive tool for replacement of liver biopsy for hepatic fibrosis staging. There are several different methods used in clinical field: transient elastography (TE), point shear wave elastography (pSWE), and two-dimensional shear wave elastography (2D-SWE). The diagnostic accuracy of pSWE and 2D-SWE is about 85% of sensitivity and 90% of specificity, comparable or superior to TE. However, there are remained issues such as penetration, measurement protocols, unit of measurement, and difficulty of comparison between machines. In future, the standard measurement protocol should be needed to expand the indication of USE.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology and Center for Imaging Science, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea

    Woo Kyoung Jeong

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  1. Woo Kyoung Jeong
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Medicine, “Titu Maiorescu” University, Central Military Emergency University Hospital “Dr. Carol Davila”, Bucharest, Romania

    Florentina Radu-Ionita

  2. New Jersey Medical School, Rutgers University New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ, USA

    Nikolaos T. Pyrsopoulos

  3. Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Central Military Emergency University Hospital “Dr. Carol Davila”, Bucharest, Romania

    Mariana Jinga

  4. Faculty of Medicine, “Titu Maiorescu” University, Central Military Emergency University Hospital “Dr. Carol Davila”, Bucharest, Romania

    Ion C. Tintoiu

  5. Medical Radiation Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia

    Zhonghua Sun

  6. “Prof. C.C. Iliescu” Emergency Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases, Bucharest, Romania

    Ecaterina Bontas

Self Study

Self Study

1.1 Questions

  1. 1.

    Which statement is true?

    1. (a)

      The cut-off level of liver stiffness of cirrhosis (F4) is same regardless of etiology of liver disease.

    2. (b)

      The velocity of shear wave in a firm medium is faster than that in a soft medium.

    3. (c)

      Young modulus is equivalent to shear modulus.

    4. (d)

      The value of liver stiffness measurement is comparable regardless of center frequency of transducer.

  2. 2.

    Which one is different from others?

    1. (a)

      Transient elastography

    2. (b)

      Point shear wave elastography

    3. (c)

      Two-dimensional shear wave elastography

    4. (d)

      Strain elastography

1.2 Answers

  1. 1.

    Which statement is true?

    1. (a)

      The cut-off level of liver stiffness is different among the etiology of liver disease. According to a meta-analysis of liver stiffness measurement using transient elastography, the cut-off level of cirrhosis by hepatitis B viral infection was 11.3 kPa, which was slightly lower than that by hepatitis C viral infection (15.3 kPa).

    2. (b)

      It is CORRECT.

    3. (c)

      Young modulus is about three-times of shear modulus, but it needs the prerequisite assumption that the tissue is incompressible.

    4. (d)

      The shear wave speed depends on the frequency and bandwidth of shear waves, which is affected by center frequency of transducer.

  2. 2.

    Which one is different from others?

    1. (a)

      Transient elastography is one of shear wave technique.

    2. (b)

      Point shear wave elastography is one of shear wave technique.

    3. (c)

      Two-dimensional shear wave elastography is one of shear wave technique.

    4. (d)

      Strain elastography is a qualitative method, which doesn’t use shear wave propagation. It is CORRECT.

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Jeong, W.K. (2020). Ultrasound Elastography. In: Radu-Ionita, F., Pyrsopoulos, N., Jinga, M., Tintoiu, I., Sun, Z., Bontas, E. (eds) Liver Diseases. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24432-3_45

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24432-3_45

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