Ch 5b Elastography Flashcards
What is elastography?
A technique that gathers qualitative or quantitative information regarding the stiffness, hardness or softness of tissue
Do all u/s machines have the elastography setting?
No, is an advanced imaging feature on SOME machines
What is Young’s Modulus?
A measure of the stiffness (harness/softness) of a material
Unit for young’s modulus?
kPa (kilopascal)
Do soft materials result in larger or smaller strain?
Larger strain
(inversely proportionate b/c the more the material moves, the less stiff it must be)
Do hard/stiff materials result in larger or smaller strain?
Little strain
(inversely proportionate b/c the less the material moves, the stiffer + harder it must be)
Are soft materials known as small or large young’s modulus?
Small (with large strain)
Are hard/stiff materials known as small or large young’s modulus?
Large (with little strain)
Young’s modulus values in kPa for soft tissue range from what?
Approx 1 for fat to 300 for fibrotic liver
Formula for young’s modulus?
Force/strain
-When a material (such as tissue) is subjected to a stress that compresses or stretches the material, the ratio of applied stress to the resulting strain is called young’s modulus
Stress = force (per unit area) applied to material
Strain = the increase/decrease of the length of a segment of the material divided by its original length
Elastography is m/c used on what 2 structures?
-Liver
-Breast lesions
Give an example of a soft + hard/stiff material that represents young’s modulus?
Soft: think stress ball (is soft, small + high strain)
Hard/stiff: think bowling ball (is hard/stiff, large + little strain)
Hardness of tissue is a useful indicator of what?
Determines the normality or abnormality
Elastography provides an imaging means of what?
“palpation”
Can elastography be quantitative in its evaluation of tissue hardness?
Yes - qualitative or quantitative
List the 2 elastography methods?
-Static
-Dynamic
What do static methods involve?
Subjecting tissues to a manual force initiated by the sonographer physically pushing on the probe, with the instrument tracking the movement of tissues by spatial correlation
(image shows probe pushing down into the material compressing it)
Will softer tissues compress more or less than hard ones?
More
Static methods are used clinically for what 4 things?
-Cancer detection
-Characterization of small parts (breast, thyroid, prostate)
-Assess viability of myocardium
-Monitor therapies that alter tissue composition (such as ablation procedures)
Are static methods simple or hard to implement?
Simple
Are static methods qualitative or quantitative assessments?
Only qualitative!
Are static methods operator dependent?
Yes
Can young’s modulus be calculated using static methods?
No! B/c the stress/force is unknown as it is the sonographer’s arm pressure which we can not calculate