Abstract:
Objective To compare the diagnostic value of real-time tissue elastography (RTE), acoustic radiation force impulse - virtual touch tissue quantification (ARFI-VTQ) and two-dimensional shear wave elastography (2D-SWE) in discerning the hardness of superficial organ lesion models.
Methods Four superficial organ lesion models with hardness of 8, 14, 45 and 80 kPa, diameter of 16.7 mm and depth of 3 cm were examined by ultrasound elastography using the Hitachi HI VISION preirus high-frequency linear array probe equipped with RTE function, the Siemens Acuson S2000 high-frequency linear array probe equipped with ARFI-VTQ function, and the AixPlorer ShearWaveTM high-frequency linear array probe equipped with 2D-SWE function.Each lesion model was tested 40 times with each technique.The measured data of each elastic imaging technique were divided into group Ⅰ (8 kPa vs 14, 45, 80 kPa), group Ⅱ (8, 14 kPa vs 45, 80 kPa) and group Ⅲ (8, 14, 45 kPa vs 80 kPa), respectively.The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of RTE, ARFI-VTQ and 2D-SWE in each group were calculated and compared.
Results In group Ⅰ, the diagnostic value of 2D-SWE was higher than ARFI-VTQ (Z=5.00, P < 0.01) and RTE (Z=3.28, P < 0.01), and there was no significant difference between RTE and ARFI-VTQ (Z=1.58, P>0.05).In both group Ⅱand group Ⅲ, the diagnostic value of RTE (Z=3.67 and 5.89, P < 0.01) and 2D-SWE (Z=3.67 and 5.89, P < 0.01) were higher than that of ARFI-VTQ, and there was no significant difference in the diagnostic value of RTE and 2D-SWE (Z=1.58 and 1.58, P>0.05).
Conclusions ARFI-VTQ technique has the lowest diagnostic value for discerning four types of superficial organ lesions.The diagnostic value of RTE technique is in the middle.The 2D-SWE technique has the highest diagnostic value, but it underestimates the hardness measurement to some extent.