Role of Ultrasound Elastography in Differentiation of Peripheral Lung Lesions

Advancements in imaging capacities and the development of a precise puncture-guiding transducer have made transthoracic ultrasonography a useful diagnostic tool for evaluating peripheral subpleural lung tumours. Different human tissues have varying levels of elasticity because of the properties of the extracellular matrix. Pleural two-dimensional (2D) shear-wave elastography (SWE) can be used to differentiate between malignant pleural effusion and benign pleural disease. Transthoracic 2D-SWE uses acoustic radiation force and assesses the velocity of tissue displacement propagation in multiple focal zones. The shear waves are monitored in 2D by creating a near-cylindrical shear-wave cone, enabling measurement of the shear-wave speed or Young's modulus (E) on a colour quantitative elastogram. Based on the hypothesis that transthoracic 2D-SWE could add accurate tissue stiffness information to B-mode grayscale ultrasound images and help in differentiating lung malignancy from benign lung lesions.