title: Doppler ultrasound and strain elastography in the assessment of cutaneous melanoma: preliminary results.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the usefulness of color or power Doppler ultrasound (US) in the pre-surgical evaluation of skin melanoma, and to correlate the Doppler characteristics with the appearance on high frequency ultrasound strain elastography (SE) in the preoperative evaluation of cutaneous melanoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included 42 cutaneous melanoma lesions in 39 adult subjects examined between September 2011 and January 2015. Doppler US features (the presence and aspect of vascularization, and the number of vascular pedicles) and elasticity by strain elastography were evaluated together with the pathological results.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The melanoma lesions presented hyper-vascularization, with multiple vascular pedicles and stiff appearance. Significant correlations between the thickness of the tumor, measured histopathologically by the Breslow index, and the degree of vascularization (p=0.0167), and number of vascular pedicles (p=0.0065) were identified. Strong correlations between the SE appearance and vascularization on one hand, and SE and the number of vascular pedicles were also identified (p<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study demonstrates that Doppler US and SE offer useful information for THE preoperative evaluation of cutaneous melanoma and may contribute to better defining the long term prognosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology," Iuliu Haţieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Botar Jid
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Informatics and Biostatistics, "Iuliu Haţieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. sbolboaca@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Sorana D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Bolboacă
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology "Iuliu Haţieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Rodica
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cosgarea
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology "Iuliu Haţieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Şenilă
authors.affiliation: Emergency County Hospital Cluj-Napoca, Department of Pathology, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Liliana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rogojan
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology," Iuliu Haţieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lenghel
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology," Iuliu Haţieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vasilescu
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology," Iuliu Haţieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Sorin M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Dudea
mesh_terms: 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; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D064847:Multimodal Imaging / Q000379:methods; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler / Q000379:methods*