ObjectiveTo explore the significance of quantitative parameters of tissue diffusion included in the real-time ultrasound elastography (RTE), in diagnosing the degree of liver fibrosis. MethodFrom July 2012 to November 2014, liver biopsy being the gold standard for evaluating hepatic fibrosis stage, we performed RTE on 112 hepatitis patients and analyzed the elastogram we got. At the same time, we carried out quantitative analysis of tissue diffusion in these patients, and obtained the values of liver fibrosis index (LFI) of right liver parenchyma. Subsequently, we compared the biopsy pathological results with the values of LFI, and single-factor analysis of variance (ANOVA) was adopted to compare the LFI among patients with variant degrees of liver fibrosis. If there were any discrepancies, least significant difference method would be adopted in order to compare one with the other from different groups. Finally, critical value of LFI of different-stage liver fibrosis was obtained with the help of receiver operator characteristic (ROC)curve. ResultsChronological liver fibrosis was classified into stage 0, stage 1, stage 2, stage 3, and stage 4, and their LFI values were 2.36±0.46, 2.38±0.45, 2.84±0.54, 3.16±0.59, and 3.69±0.55, respectively. ANOVA showed that the LFI values of different-stage fibrosis had significant differences (F=29.959, P<0.001). However, there was no difference between stage 0 and stage 1 (P=0.920), or between stage 2 and stage 3 (P=0.076). The area under the ROC curve for stage 0-1 and stage 2-3, stage 2-3 and S4 was respectively 0.784 and 0.799, and their critical value was 2.83 and 3.69 respectively. ConclusionsThe real-time ultrasound elastography is a feasible and non-invasive method in diagnosing the degree of hepatitis fibrosis and LFI has advantage in distinguishing different stage of liver fibrosis.
ObjectiveTo explore the value of ultrasound real-time tissue elastography in the differential diagnosis between benign and malignant breast lesions.Methods A total of 131 cases of patients with breast lesions who underwent ultrasound examination in the People’s Hospital of Guangan City between December 2010 and December 2015 were enrolled as the research object. The patients took conventional color Doppler ultrasound diagnosis firstly, and then took ultrasound real-time tissue elastography diagnosis. The lesions were scored with improved 5-scoring system respectively. By the strain ratio measure method equipped with the ultrasonic machine, strain ratio of the lesion was calculated, with 3.08 as the cut-off pont. The results were campared with the pathologic diagnosis.ResultsThere were 182 breast lumps in the 131 patients. The conventional ultrasound examination detected 128 benign lesions and 54 malignant lesions. By ultrasound real-time tissue elastography examination, there were 121 benign tumors and 61 malignant tumors. For the benign tumors, the elasticity imaging score was 1.74±0.81, and the elastic strain rate ratio was 1.83±1.22; for the malignant tumors, the elasticity imaging score was 4.45±0.59, and the elastic strain rate ratio was 8.68±5.58. The 182 breast lumps were all removed by surgical resection, and the pathologic examination showed there were 121 benign lesions and 61 malignant lesions. The accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of conventional ultrasonic diagnosis of breast malignant lesions was 76.4%, 59.0% and 85.1%, respectively; while the indexes of ultrasound real-time tissue elastography diagnosis of breast malignant lesions was 96.7%, 95.1% and 97.5%, respectively, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05).ConclusionReal-time tissue elastography is helpful in the differential diagnosis between malignant and benign breast lesions.