Visually assessed colour overlay features in shear-wave elastography for breast masses: quantification and diagnostic...

Area of Science:

• Medical imaging
• Diagnostic ultrasound
• Biomedical engineering

Background:

• Shear-wave elastography (SWE) is an ultrasound technique measuring tissue stiffness.
• Colour overlay features in SWE visually represent elasticity distribution.
• Quantifying these visual features may improve diagnostic accuracy for breast lesions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify colour overlay features in SWE using the standard deviation (SD) of elasticity.
• To evaluate the diagnostic performance of these features for breast masses.
• To assess the correlation between colour overlay features and quantitative elasticity SD.

Main Methods:

• 133 breast lesions in 119 women were analyzed using SWE.
• Two colour overlay pattern classifications were used.
• Quantitative SD of elasticity was measured within a region of interest encompassing the entire lesion.

Main Results:

• The four-colour overlay pattern achieved an area under the ROC curve (Az) of 0.947 (sensitivity 94.4%, specificity 81.4%).
• Elasticity homogeneity showed an Az of 0.887 (sensitivity 86.1%, specificity 82.5%).
• Elasticity SD had an Az of 0.944 (sensitivity 88.9%, specificity 89.7%), correlating significantly with colour overlay features (P < 0.001).

Conclusions:

• Colour overlay features and elasticity SD in SWE demonstrate excellent diagnostic performance for breast masses.
• A strong correlation exists between colour overlay features and quantitative elasticity SD.
• SWE colour overlay features offer a valuable, quantifiable method for breast lesion assessment.