Reproducibility analysis on shear wave elastography (SWE)-based quantitative assessment for skin elasticity.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Medical Imaging
• Dermatology

Background:

• Shear Wave Elastography (SWE) quantifies tissue solidity non-invasively.
• Concerns exist regarding skin SWE accuracy due to low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) from subcutaneous fat, muscle, and bone.
• Evaluating skin SWE reproducibility is crucial for assessing skin elasticity in disease.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the reproducibility of skin SWE results.
• To evaluate the availability of SWE for skin elasticity assessment in diseases.
• To determine the impact of subcutaneous fat, muscle, and bone on SWE measurements.

Main Methods:

• Thirty volunteers underwent SWE measurements on abdominal and tibial skin.
• Tibial skin measurements were stratified by subcutaneous fat thickness (1-7 mm).
• Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) assessed intra-observer and inter-observer reproducibility.

Main Results:

• Abdominal skin showed low solidity (12.4 ± 2.7 kPa); tibial skin showed higher moduli (25-48 kPa).
• Excellent intra-observer (ICC 0.78-0.98) and inter-observer (ICC 0.75-0.98) reproducibility was achieved with ≥3 mm subcutaneous fat.
• Subcutaneous fat thickness significantly affects skin SWE reproducibility.

Conclusions:

• Skin SWE is reproducible for elasticity assessment, particularly with adequate subcutaneous fat (≥3 mm).
• Subcutaneous fat thickness is a key factor influencing skin SWE reliability.
• Further research is needed to standardize skin SWE protocols for clinical applications.