[Radiology Update Ultrasound Elastography – Quintessence for the Primary Care Physician]

Ultrasound elastography visualizes and measures elasticity of tissue. Depending on the methods there are four types of elastography: strain elastography (SE), transient elastography (TE), acoustic radiation force impulse imaging (ARFI) and shear wave elastography (SWE). Due to the fact that pathological changes in the tissue in most of the cases mean a lower elasticity, ultrasound elastography is able to diagnose diseases such as liver fibrosis, liver cirrhosis, to help in the diagnosis of suspicious lesions in mamma, prostate and thyroid gland. So far, ultrasound elastography is not yet able to replace other standardized diagnostic tools but can add valuable diagnostic information.