Journal of ultrasound in medicine : official journal of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
-
Elastography is a new adjunct to real-time ultrasound imaging that overlays traditional B-mode imaging with a color graphic representation of tissue elasticity. Soft tissue infections are common presenting conditions in the emergency department, and elastography has the potential to help in diagnosis and treatment of evolving soft tissue infections as they progress from induration to fluctuant abscesses, but to our knowledge, no studies of elastography in superficial soft tissue have been published. We hypothesized that elastography would provide increased information regarding skin abscesses. ⋯ Elastography identified the tissue induration and some abscess cavities not seen on B-mode imaging. It offers a way to characterize abscesses that may be useful clinically, but more research is needed.