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Published on: September 19, 2018
In vivo visualization of abdominal malignancies with acoustic radiation force elastography
B J Fahey1, R C Nelson2, D P Bradway1
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
Physics in Medicine and Biology
|January 10, 2008
Summary
Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse (ARFI) imaging enhances visualization of abdominal tumors compared to traditional B-mode ultrasound. This novel elasticity imaging technique offers superior contrast and boundary definition for liver and kidney malignancies.
Area of Science:
- Medical Imaging
- Diagnostic Ultrasound
- Biophysics
Background:
- Traditional B-mode ultrasound has limitations in visualizing the boundaries and internal characteristics of abdominal malignancies.
- Assessing tissue elasticity can provide valuable diagnostic information for differentiating between benign and malignant abdominal masses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the utility of Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse (ARFI) imaging for real-time visualization of abdominal malignancies.
- To compare the image quality, boundary definition, and contrast of ARFI imaging with conventional B-mode sonography for liver and kidney tumors.
Main Methods:
- Combined sonography and ARFI imaging were performed on nine patients with suspicious liver or kidney masses (total of 12 tumors).
- Boundary definition and displacement contrast in ARFI images were compared to echo contrast in B-mode images.
- Tissue elasticity was assessed by measuring displacement contrast for hepatocellular carcinomas, metastases, and a renal mass.
Main Results:
- ARFI imaging demonstrated improved or equivalent boundary definition compared to B-mode imaging for all tumors.
- Displacement contrast in ARFI images was superior to echo contrast in B-mode images.
- ARFI imaging revealed hepatocellular carcinomas as more compliant and metastases as less compliant than surrounding liver parenchyma, with significantly higher contrast values than B-mode.
Conclusions:
- ARFI imaging offers superior contrast and boundary definition for abdominal malignancies compared to conventional B-mode sonography.
- This study presents the first in vivo human images of abdominal malignancies using ARFI or other tissue elasticity imaging techniques.
- ARFI imaging shows significant potential as a valuable tool for the real-time diagnosis and characterization of abdominal tumors.
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