Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse (ARFI) Technique in Ultrasound with Virtual Touch Tissue Quantification of the Upper Abdomen

Overview

Journal Radiol Med

Specialty Radiology

Date 2010 Jan 19

PMID 20082227

Citations 65

Authors

A Gallotti

M DOnofrio

R Pozzi Mucelli

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Purpose: Virtual Touch tissue quantification is an implementation of ultrasound (US) Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse (ARFI) imaging that provides numerical measurements (wave-velocity values) of tissue stiffness. The aim of this study was to define the normal values of shear-wave speed for the healthy liver, gallbladder, pancreas, spleen and kidneys.

Materials And Methods: Thirty-five young healthy volunteers underwent Virtual Touch tissue quantification after having signed an informed consent form. All upper abdominal organs were examined by two independent operators. A phantom fluid model was also evaluated. All mean wave-velocity values were analysed and compared. Results. One hundred and forty measurements of liver, pancreas, spleen and kidneys, and 70 measurements of the gallbladder lumen were performed. Twenty measurements on the phantom were also performed. Comparing all measurements separately made by each operator in different parts of the organs, no statistically significant differences were observed. A "XXXX/0" value was always obtained from all measurements performed on the gallbladder lumen and on the phantom fluid model. Liver, pancreas, spleen and kidney mean values were 1.59 m/s, 1.40 m/s, 2.44 m/s and 2.24 m/s, respectively.

Conclusions: Virtual Touch tissue quantification is a new, promising implementation of the US ARFI technique, which provides numerical measurements of tissue stiffness. The mean shear-wave speed is lower in the pancreatic parenchyma than in the liver and kidney, whereas the spleen is characterised by the highest mean value. In simple fluids such as water, the value identified by the system with "XXXX" or 0, is always measured.

Citing Articles

Acoustic Radiation Forced Impulse of the Liver and the Spleen, Combined with Spleen Dimension and Platelet Count in New Ratio Scores, Identifies High-Risk Esophageal Varices in Well-Compensated Cirrhotic Patients.

Vainieri A, Brando E, De Vincentis A, Di Pasquale G, Flagiello V, Gallo P Diagnostics (Basel). 2024; 14(7).

PMID: 38611598 PMC: 11011753. DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics14070685.

Comparison of point and two-dimensional shear wave elastography of the spleen in healthy subjects.

Nowotny F, Schmidberger J, Schlingeloff P, Binzberger A, Kratzer W World J Radiol. 2021; 13(5):137-148.

PMID: 34141093 PMC: 8188838. DOI: 10.4329/wjr.v13.i5.137.

Spleen elastography in patients with Systemic sclerosis.

Karalilova R, Doykova K, Batalov Z, Doykov D, Batalov A Rheumatol Int. 2021; 41(3):633-641.

PMID: 33495915 DOI: 10.1007/s00296-020-04772-5.

A comparative study of the pancreas in pediatric patients with cystic fibrosis and healthy children using two-dimensional shear wave elastography.

Piskin F, Yavuz S, Kose S, Cagli C, DoGruel D, Tumgor G J Ultrasound. 2020; 23(4):535-542.

PMID: 32034705 PMC: 7588563. DOI: 10.1007/s40477-020-00432-3.

Normative Pancreatic Stiffness Levels and Related Influences Established by Magnetic Resonance Elastography in Volunteers.

Xu Y, Cai X, Shi Y, Yin M, Lan G, Zhang X J Magn Reson Imaging. 2020; 52(2):448-458.

PMID: 31943515 PMC: 7575061. DOI: 10.1002/jmri.27052.

References

McAleavey S, Menon M, Orszulak J . Shear-modulus estimation by application of spatially-modulated impulsive acoustic radiation force. Ultrason Imaging. 2007; 29(2):87-104. DOI: 10.1177/016173460702900202. View

Rubin J, Aglyamov S, Wakefield T, ODonnell M, Emelianov S . Clinical application of sonographic elasticity imaging for aging of deep venous thrombosis: preliminary findings. J Ultrasound Med. 2003; 22(5):443-8. DOI: 10.7863/jum.2003.22.5.443. View

Zhai L, Palmeri M, Bouchard R, Nightingale R, Nightingale K . An integrated indenter-ARFI imaging system for tissue stiffness quantification. Ultrason Imaging. 2008; 30(2):95-111. PMC: 2577389. DOI: 10.1177/016173460803000203. View

Nightingale K, McAleavey S, Trahey G . Shear-wave generation using acoustic radiation force: in vivo and ex vivo results. Ultrasound Med Biol. 2003; 29(12):1715-23. DOI: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2003.08.008. View

Lamproye A, Belaiche J, Delwaide J . [The FibroScan: a new non invasive method of liver fibrosis evaluation]. Rev Med Liege. 2008; 62 Spec No:68-72. View

McLaughlin J, Renzi D, Parker K, Wu Z . Shear wave speed recovery using moving interference patterns obtained in sonoelastography experiments. J Acoust Soc Am. 2007; 121(4):2438-46. DOI: 10.1121/1.2534717. View

Fahey B, Palmeri M, Trahey G . The impact of physiological motion on tissue tracking during radiation force imaging. Ultrasound Med Biol. 2007; 33(7):1149-66. PMC: 2075097. DOI: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2007.01.007. View

Nightingale K, Palmeri M, Trahey G . Analysis of contrast in images generated with transient acoustic radiation force. Ultrasound Med Biol. 2005; 32(1):61-72. DOI: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2005.08.008. View

Greenleaf J, Fatemi M, Insana M . Selected methods for imaging elastic properties of biological tissues. Annu Rev Biomed Eng. 2003; 5:57-78. DOI: 10.1146/annurev.bioeng.5.040202.121623. View

10.

Liu D, Ebbini E . Viscoelastic property measurement in thin tissue constructs using ultrasound. IEEE Trans Ultrason Ferroelectr Freq Control. 2008; 55(2):368-83. PMC: 2859344. DOI: 10.1109/TUFFC.2008.655. View

11.

Nightingale K, Palmeri M, Nightingale R, Trahey G . On the feasibility of remote palpation using acoustic radiation force. J Acoust Soc Am. 2001; 110(1):625-34. DOI: 10.1121/1.1378344. View

12.

Melodelima D, Bamber J, Duck F, Shipley J . Transient elastography using impulsive ultrasound radiation force: a preliminary comparison with surface palpation elastography. Ultrasound Med Biol. 2007; 33(6):959-69. DOI: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2006.12.004. View

13.

Lyshchik A, Higashi T, Asato R, Tanaka S, Ito J, Hiraoka M . Cervical lymph node metastases: diagnosis at sonoelastography--initial experience. Radiology. 2007; 243(1):258-67. DOI: 10.1148/radiol.2431052032. View

14.

Lyshchik A, Higashi T, Asato R, Tanaka S, Ito J, Mai J . Thyroid gland tumor diagnosis at US elastography. Radiology. 2005; 237(1):202-11. DOI: 10.1148/radiol.2363041248. View

15.

Nightingale K, Soo M, Nightingale R, Trahey G . Acoustic radiation force impulse imaging: in vivo demonstration of clinical feasibility. Ultrasound Med Biol. 2002; 28(2):227-35. DOI: 10.1016/s0301-5629(01)00499-9. View

16.

Cochlin D, Ganatra R, Griffiths D . Elastography in the detection of prostatic cancer. Clin Radiol. 2002; 57(11):1014-20. DOI: 10.1053/crad.2002.0989. View

17.

TAYLOR L, Porter B, Rubens D, Parker K . Three-dimensional sonoelastography: principles and practices. Phys Med Biol. 2000; 45(6):1477-94. DOI: 10.1088/0031-9155/45/6/306. View

18.

Garra B . Imaging and estimation of tissue elasticity by ultrasound. Ultrasound Q. 2007; 23(4):255-68. DOI: 10.1097/ruq.0b013e31815b7ed6. View

19.

Sumi C . Regularization of tissue shear modulus reconstruction using strain variance. IEEE Trans Ultrason Ferroelectr Freq Control. 2008; 55(2):297-307. DOI: 10.1109/TUFFC.2008.649. View

20.

Palmeri M, Wang M, Dahl J, Frinkley K, Nightingale K . Quantifying hepatic shear modulus in vivo using acoustic radiation force. Ultrasound Med Biol. 2008; 34(4):546-58. PMC: 2362504. DOI: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2007.10.009. View