title: Breast elasticity: principles, technique, results: an update and overview of commercially available software.
abstract: Breast ultrasound elasticity evaluation has become a routine tool in addition to diagnostic ultrasound during the last five years. Two elasticity evaluation modes are currently available: free-hand elastography and shear-wave elastography (SWE). Most of the commercially available elastography scanners have specific procedures which must be understood by the users. Free-hand elastography usually displays qualitative imaging such as an elastogram, but most of the companies now use it to quantify the relative stiffness between a lesion and the surrounding breast tissue. SWE is a new mode theoretically independent of the sonographer which displays more quantitative information, and can be useful for characterizing breast lesions. Recent studies on elastography suggest that elasticity imaging can increase B-mode accuracy and specificity in differentiating benign and malignant breast lesions. This functional imaging mode could help reduce the number of biopsies performed for benign breast lesions. This review gives a detailed description of the main commercially available systems and the results of current applications in the evaluation of breast elasticity.
authors.affiliation: Radiology Department, Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, France. Corinne.Balleyguier@igr.fr
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Balleyguier
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Canale
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ben Hassen
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vielh
authors.forename: E H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Bayou
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Mathieu
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Uzan
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bourgier
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dromain
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D055119:Elastic Modulus; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012984:Software; D016217:Ultrasonography, Mammary / Q000379:methods*