title: Stiffness of salivary gland and tumor measured by new ultrasonic techniques: Virtual touch quantification and IQ.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate normal salivary gland stiffness and compare the diagnostic performance of virtual touch quantification (VTQ) and virtual touch imaging quantification (VTIQ) for head and neck tumor.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 92 measurements were examined, comprising 77 normal salivary glands, 11 benign tumors and four malignant tumors. Examinations were made to evaluate normal salivary gland stiffness and compare the diagnostic performances of new ultrasonic techniques regarding head and neck tumor.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean values of VTQ and VTIQ for the normal salivary group (NSG) were 1.92 and 2.06m/s, respectively. The VTQ and VTIQ values were correlative, and there were no statistical differences in each mean value between the normal parotid glands and submandibular glands. For the benign tumor group (BTG), four of the 11 values were non-numeric and were considered above the measurable range. The mean VTIQ value for the BTG was 4.24m/s. For the malignant tumor group (MTG), all four VTQ values were non-numeric. The mean VTIQ value for the MTG was 6.52m/s. For the mean VTIQ values, significant differences were observed among the three groups. The optimum VTQ cutoff value to detect malignant tumors was above the measurable range, and that of VTIQ was 4.83m/s.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The VTQ and VTIQ values were correlative for the salivary glands, and the stiffnesses of normal parotid glands were almost same as those of submandibular glands. VTQ and VTIQ values could be applied for the preoperative diagnosis in salivary gland lesions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Japan. Electronic address: tmtzk@fmu.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsuzuka
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saijo
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Masakazu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Takamichi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsui
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Yukio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nomoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Mika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nomoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Mitsuyoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Imaizumi
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tada
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Omori
mesh_terms: D000235:Adenolymphoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D000236:Adenoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008949:Adenoma, Pleomorphic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018267:Carcinoma, Acinar Cell / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003528:Carcinoma, Adenoid Cystic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010307:Parotid Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012469:Salivary Glands / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D000077195:Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck; D013365:Submandibular Gland Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D014463:Ultrasonography
keywords: Acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI); Head and neck tumor; Normal salivary gland; Salivary gland tumor; Virtual touch tissue imaging quantification (VTIQ); Virtual touch tissue quantification (VTQ)