Comparison of two shear wave elastography systems for the diagnosis of identical breast lesions
What is it about?
This study was conducted to assess the diagnostic performance of two different systems using the shear wave elastography (SWE) for distinguishing the breast lesions. A total of 84 breast lesions were retrospectively analysed by radiologists using SWE on two ultrasound systems. The maximum (E-max), mean (E-mean) and standard deviation (E-sd) of elasticity modulus values in system-1 and system-2 were analyzed. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROCs) were calculated to assess the diagnostic performance between system-1 and system-2.
Why is it important?
Shear wave elastography （SWE） capabilities are now present in several manufacturers' high-end ultrasound systems. However, because different manufacturers and systems utilize various technologies, it is possible for the same lesion to exhibit various quantitative values of tissue stiffness on various US machines in clinical practice. We are aware of very few studies that have examined whether the SWE-based diagnostic performance of various manufacturers is similar or different.