title: Evaluation of shearwave elastography for the characterisation of focal liver lesions on ultrasound.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the elasticity characteristics of focal liver lesions (FLLs) by shearwave elastography (SWE).
  
  
  METHODS
  We used SWE in 108 patients with 161 FLLs and in the adjacent liver for quantitative and qualitative FLLs stiffness assessment. The Mann-Whitney test was used to assess the difference between the groups of lesions where a P value less than 0.05 was considered significant.
  
  
  RESULTS
  SWE acquisitions failed in 22 nodules (14 %) in 13 patients. For the 139 lesions successfully evaluated, SWE values were (in kPa), for the 3 focal fatty sparings (FFS) 6.6 ± 0.3, for the 10 adenomas 9.4 ± 4.3, for the 22 haemangiomas 13.8 ± -5.5, for the 16 focal nodular hyperplasias (FNHs) 33 ± -14.7, for the 2 scars 53.7 ± 4.7, for the 26 HCCs 14.86 ± 10, for the 53 metastasis 28.8 ± 16, and for the 7 cholangiocarcinomas 56.9 ± 25.6. FNHs had significant differences in stiffness compared with adenomas (P = 0.0002). Fifty percent of the FNHs had a radial pattern of elevated elasticity. A significant difference was also found between HCCs and cholangiocarcinomas elasticity (P = 0.0004).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SWE could be useful in differentiating FNHs and adenomas, or HCCs and cholangiocarcinomas by ultrasound.
authors.affiliation: Service d'Imagerie abdominale, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Hôpital Edouard Herriot, 69437, Lyon cedex 03, France. aymeric.guibal@gmail.com
authors.forename: Aymeric
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Guibal
authors.forename: Camille
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Boularan
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bruce
authors.forename: Mélanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vallin
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pilleul
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Walter
authors.forename: Jean Yves
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Scoazec
authors.forename: Nawele
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Boublay
authors.forename: Jérôme
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dumortier
authors.forename: Thibaut
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lefort
mesh_terms: D000236:Adenoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018281:Cholangiocarcinoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity