Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Ultrasonographic tissue quantification of the breast using acoustic radiation force impulse technology: phantom study and clinical application

  • Technical Note
  • Published:
Japanese Journal of Radiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this study was to perform the phantom experiment and demonstrate the clinical usefulness of tissue quantification using a linear array transducer and acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) technology.

Materials and methods

For the phantom study, the commercially available Elasticity QA Phantom Model 049 was used. First, we measured the shear wave velocity (m/s) for the four spheres and the background of the phantom. Then, the shear wave velocity at nine sites was measured, with the region of interest being moved gradually from a shallow region (3 mm) to a deeper region (38 mm). For the clinical study, the shear wave velocities of 15 solid breast mass lesions were measured.

Results

The phantom study confirmed the feasibility of quantitative determination of the degree of tissue hardness. Dispersion of the measured values tended to be somewhat increased for the depths of 3 mm and 38 mm. The mean shear wave velocity was 2.07–2.93 m/s for five benign lesions, whereas higher shear wave velocities (n = 2) (7.15, 7.44 m/s) or “X.XX” (unmeasurable state) (n = 7) were found for malignant lesions other than mucinous carcinoma (2.44 m/s).

Conclusion

ARFI tissue quantification is a potentially promising ultrasonographic technique for diagnosing breast lesions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Stavros AT, Thickman D, Rapp CL, Dennis MA, Parker SH, Sisney GA. Solid breast nodules: use of sonography to distinguish between benign and malignant lesions. Radiology 1995;196:123–134.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Zonderland HM, Coerkamp EG, Hermans J, van de Vijver MJ, van Voorthuisen AE. Diagnosis of breast cancer: contribution of US as an adjunct to mammography. Radiology 1999;213:413–422.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Flobbe K, Nelemans PJ, Kessels AG, Beets GL, von Meyenfeldt MF, van Engelshoven JM. The role of ultrasonography as an adjunct to mammography in the detection of breast cancer: a systematic review. Eur J Cancer 2002;38:1044–1050.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Cosgrove DO, Kedar RP, Bamber JC, al-Murrani B, Davey JB, Fisher C, et al. Breast diseases: color Doppler US in differential diagnosis. Radiology 1993;189:99–104.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Raza S, Baum JK. Solid breast lesions: evaluation with power Doppler US. Radiology 1997;203:164–168.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Itoh A, Ueno E, Tohno E, Kamma H, Takahashi H, Shiina T, et al. Breast disease: clinical application of US elastography for diagnosis. Radiology 2006;239:341–350.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Friedrich-Rust M, Wunder K, Kriener S, Sotoudeh F, Richter S, Bojunga J, et al. Liver fibrosis in viral hepatitis: noninvasive assessment with acoustic radiation force impulse imaging versus transient elastography. Radiology 2009;252:595–604.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Lupsor M, Badea R, Stefanescu H, Sparchez Z, Branda H, Serban A, et al. Performance of a new elastographic method (ARFI technology) compared to unidimensional transient elastography in the noninvasive assessment of chronic hepatitis C: preliminary results. J Gastrointest Liver Dis 2009;18:303–310.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Takahashi H, Ono N, Eguchi Y, Eguchi T, Kitajima Y, Kawaguchi Y, et al. Evaluation of acoustic radiation force impulse elastography for fibrosis staging of chronic liver disease: a pilot study. Liver Int 2010;30:538–545.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Gallotti A, D’Onofrio M, Pozzi Mucelli R. Acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) technique in ultrasound with Virtual Touch tissue quantification of the upper abdomen. Radiol Med 2010;115:889–897.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Yoneda M, Suzuki K, Kato S, Fujita K, Nozaki Y, Hosono K, et al. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: US-based acoustic radiation force impulse elastography. Radiology 2010;256:640–647.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Zhi H, Xiao XY, Yang HY, Wen YL, Ou B, Luo BM, et al. Semi-quantitating stiffness of breast solid lesions in ultrasonic elastography. Acad Radiol 2008;15:1347–1353.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Cho N, Moon WK, Kim HY, Chang JM, Park SH, Lyou CY. Sonoelastographic strain index for differentiation of benign and malignant nonpalpable breast masses. J Ultrasound Med 2010;29:1–7.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Breast Center, Kameda Medical Center, 929 Higashi-cho, Kamogawa, 296-8602, Japan

    Mitsuhiro Tozaki & Eisuke Fukuma

  2. Marketing Division, Mochida Siemens Medical Systems Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan

    Masahiro Saito & Chanwoong Joo

  3. Division of Ultrasonographic Examination, Kameda Medical Center, Kamogawa, Japan

    Miki Yamaguchi, Sachiko Isobe, Yukari Ogawa & Kanako Homma

Authors
  1. Mitsuhiro Tozaki
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Masahiro Saito
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Chanwoong Joo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Miki Yamaguchi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Sachiko Isobe
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Yukari Ogawa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Kanako Homma
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Eisuke Fukuma
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mitsuhiro Tozaki.

About this article

Cite this article

Tozaki, M., Saito, M., Joo, C. et al. Ultrasonographic tissue quantification of the breast using acoustic radiation force impulse technology: phantom study and clinical application. Jpn J Radiol 29, 598–603 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11604-011-0591-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11604-011-0591-9

Key words

Search

Navigation