Ultrasound in medicine & biology
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Ultrasound Med Biol · Jun 2012
A pilot study evaluating real-time shear wave ultrasound elastography of miscellaneous non-nodal neck masses in a routine head and neck ultrasound clinic.
A pilot study was performed to evaluate shear wave ultrasound elastography (SWE) for miscellaneous non-nodal/salivary/thyroid neck lesions. Forty-six lesions undergoing conventional sonography also underwent SWE. Elastic moduli from the stiffest areas in lesions were correlated with diagnosis. ⋯ All malignant lesions were suspected on conventional sonography. The preliminary data indicate that SWE is feasible for miscellaneous neck lesions. SWE would not have altered management in terms of detecting undisclosed malignancies, although as a quantitative technique, it may increase the diagnostic confidence of less experienced operators performing head and neck ultrasound.