Differentiating thyroid nodules parathyroid lesions using 2D-shear-wave elastography: a novel approach for enhanced diagnostic accuracy

Differentiating between thyroid and parathyroid lesions by means of ultrasound can be a challenge in some cases. This study explores the diagnostic efficacy of bidimensional shear wave elastography planewave ultrasound (2D SWE PLUS) as an auxiliary technique in distinguishing these superficial structures. We evaluated 86 cases, presenting with concurrent thyroid nodules and hyperparathyroidism, through conventional ultrasound and 2D SWE PLUS, employing an Aixplorer Supersonic Mach30 with a 5-18 MHz linear probe. Statistically significant differences were observed for the elasticity index (EI) between parathyroid and normal thyroid tissue (p<0.0001, U=291), and between parathyroid lesions and thyroid nodules (p<0.0001, U=248.5). An area under the curve (AUC) of 0.961, with an optimal cut-off value of ≤8.9 kPa, was established to effectively distinguish parathyroid tissue from normal thyroid tissue (sensitivity of 91.9%; specificity of 97.5%). Furthermore, an AUC of 0.963 and an optimal cut-off of 9.24 kPa (sensitivity of 94.2%, specificity of 91.1%) were determined for parathyroid vs thyroid lesions. Elasticity values were significantly elevated in the cancer group compared to benign thyroid nodules (p<0.0001). Our findings suggest that 2D SWE PLUS is an effective tool in differentiating between thyroid nodules and parathyroid lesions, enhancing diagnostic performance in neck ultrasonography

Assessment of Renal Allograft Stiffness and Viscosity Using 2D SWE PLUS and Vi PLUS Measures—A Pilot Study

Elastography is a useful noninvasive tool for the assessment of renal transplant recipients. 2D-shear wave elastography (SWE) PLUS and viscosity plane-wave ultrasound (Vi PLUS) have emerged as novel techniques that promise to offer improved renal stiffness and viscosity measures due to improved processing algorithms. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study of 50 kidney transplanted patients (16 women, 34 men; mean age of 47.5 ± 12.5; mean estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) estimated by Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration formula: 52.19 ± 22.6 mL/min/1.73 m2; and a mean duration after transplant of 10.09 ± 5 years). For every patient, we obtained five valid measurements of renal stiffness (obtained from five different frames in the cortex of the renal graft), and also tissue viscosity, with a C6-1X convex transducer using the Ultra-Fast™ software available on the Aixplorer Mach 30 ultrasound system (Supersonic Imagine, Aix-en-Provence, France). The median values of elastographic and viscosity measures have been correlated with the patients’ demographic, biological, and clinical parameters. Results: We obtained a cut-off value of renal cortical stiffness of <27.3 kiloPascal(kPa) for detection of eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 with 80% sensitivity and 85% specificity (AUC = 0.811, p < 0.0001), a cut-off value of <26.9 kPa for detection of eGFR < 45 mL/min/1.73 m2 with 82.6% sensitivity and 74% specificity (AUC = 0.789, p < 0.0001), and a cut-off value of <23 kPa for detection of eGFR < 30 mL/min/1.73 m2 with 88.8% sensitivity and 75.6% specificity (AUC = 0.852, p < 0.0001). We found a positive correlation coefficient between eGFR and the median measure of renal cortical stiffness (r = 0.5699, p < 0.0001), between eGFR the median measure of viscosity (r = 0.3335, p = 0.0180), between median depth of measures and renal cortical stiffness (r = −0.2795, p = 0.0493), and between median depth of measures and body mass index (BMI) (r = 0.6574, p < 0.0001). Our study showed good intra-operator agreement for both 2D SWE PLUS measures—with an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.9548 and a 95% CI of 0.9315 to 0.9719—and Vi PLUS, with an ICC of 0.8323 and a 95% CI of 0.7457 to 0.8959. The multivariate regression model showed that 2D SWE PLUS values were associated with eGFR, Vi PLUS, and depth of measures. Conclusions: Assessment of renal allograft stiffness and viscosity may prove to be an effective method for identifying patients with chronic allograft injury and could prove to be a low-cost approach to provide additional diagnostic information of kidney transplanted patients

Are the Currently Available Elastography Methods Useful in the Assessment of Chronic Kidney Disease? A Systematic Review and a Meta-Analysis

Background: We require an quantitative imaging technique for the diagnosis and assessment of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Renal elastography has been widely used in recent years in different studies; however, the results across them are not consistent and, as a result, we conducted a meta-analysis of the published literature on this topic. Methods: The databases of PubMed, Medscape, Medline were searched for all studies published in English from 2010 until November 2021 that evaluated kidney shear wave speed (SWS) by elastography in patients with CKD. Trial design, methodological information, patient characteristics, interventions, results, and outcome data were all collected from each study according to a set protocol. Results: We found 37 publications, yet only 18 studies that utilized point shear wave elastography (Virtual Touch Quantification—VTQ system) were compared because the values achieved using different types of elastography are not evaluable. Finally, 1995 attendees (1241 patients with CKD versus 781 healthy subjects as the control group) were included. When comparing mean values of kidney SWS between studies we found increased heterogeneity Q = 513.133; DF = 10; p 2 (inconsistency) = 98.12% (95% CI for I2 97.52–98.57%). With a standardized mean difference of −0.216, patients with CKD have a lower kidney SWS than healthy controls. A positive association between kidney SWS and eGFR was also discovered across the presented studies, with a pooled correlation coefficient of 0.38 (Z = 10.3, p p 2 = 93.18% (95% CI for I2 87.86 to 96.18). The pooled area under the ROC curve for kidney SWS to predict chronic kidney disease was 0.831 (95% CI, p p = 0.0001, I2 = 78.8% (95% CI for I2 56.37 to 89.72). In the four articles that used the Elast-PQ method, the data presented were insufficient for statistical analysis: area under the curve (AUC) values are used to compare distinct characteristics (differentiating kidney SWS between mildly and moderately impaired kidneys, between non-diabetic/prediabetic/diabetic patients, or kidney SWS between the CKD and control group), therefore not being suitable for further evaluation. Conclusions: The results show that patients with CKD have a lower kidney SWS than healthy controls. However, the number of studies involving renal elastography that have been published is limited and show an increased heterogeneity. Further research is needed to determine which factors actually influence kidney SWS in CKD patients and, as a result, to specify the role and indication of renal elastography in clinical practice

Are the Currently Available Elastography Methods Useful in the Assessment of Chronic Kidney Disease? A Systematic Review and a Meta-Analysis

Background: We require an quantitative imaging technique for the diagnosis and assessment of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Renal elastography has been widely used in recent years in different studies; however, the results across them are not consistent and, as a result, we conducted a meta-analysis of the published literature on this topic. Methods: The databases of PubMed, Medscape, Medline were searched for all studies published in English from 2010 until November 2021 that evaluated kidney shear wave speed (SWS) by elastography in patients with CKD. Trial design, methodological information, patient characteristics, interventions, results, and outcome data were all collected from each study according to a set protocol. Results: We found 37 publications, yet only 18 studies that utilized point shear wave elastography (Virtual Touch Quantification—VTQ system) were compared because the values achieved using different types of elastography are not evaluable. Finally, 1995 attendees (1241 patients with CKD versus 781 healthy subjects as the control group) were included. When comparing mean values of kidney SWS between studies we found increased heterogeneity Q = 513.133; DF = 10; p < 0001, I2 (inconsistency) = 98.12% (95% CI for I2 97.52–98.57%). With a standardized mean difference of −0.216, patients with CKD have a lower kidney SWS than healthy controls. A positive association between kidney SWS and eGFR was also discovered across the presented studies, with a pooled correlation coefficient of 0.38 (Z = 10.3, p < 0.001), Q = 73.3, DF = 5, p < 000.1, I2 = 93.18% (95% CI for I2 87.86 to 96.18). The pooled area under the ROC curve for kidney SWS to predict chronic kidney disease was 0.831 (95% CI, p < 0.001), Q = 28.32, DF = 6, p = 0.0001, I2 = 78.8% (95% CI for I2 56.37 to 89.72). In the four articles that used the Elast-PQ method, the data presented were insufficient for statistical analysis: area under the curve (AUC) values are used to compare distinct characteristics (differentiating kidney SWS between mildly and moderately impaired kidneys, between non-diabetic/prediabetic/diabetic patients, or kidney SWS between the CKD and control group), therefore not being suitable for further evaluation. Conclusions: The results show that patients with CKD have a lower kidney SWS than healthy controls. However, the number of studies involving renal elastography that have been published is limited and show an increased heterogeneity. Further research is needed to determine which factors actually influence kidney SWS in CKD patients and, as a result, to specify the role and indication of renal elastography in clinical practice

Non-Invasive Evaluation of Kidney Elasticity and Viscosity in a Healthy Cohort

Introduction: There is currently a lack of published data on kidney elasticity and viscosity. Non-invasive techniques, such as two-dimensional shear-wave elastography (2D-SWE PLUS) and viscosity plane-wave ultrasound (Vi PLUS), have surfaced as new detection methods, which, thanks to efficient processing software, are expected to improve renal stiffness and viscosity measurements. This study aims to be the first one to assess the normal range values in normal renal function subjects and to investigate the factors that impact them. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study employing 50 participants (29 women and 21 men) with a mean age of 42.22 ± 13.17, a mean estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of 97.12 ± 11 mL/min/1.73 m2, a mean kidney length of 10.16 ± 0.66 cm, and a mean body mass index (BMI) of 24.24 ± 3.98. With a C6-1X convex transducer and the Ultra-FastTM software available on the Hologic Aixplorer Mach 30 ultrasound system, we acquired five measurements of renal cortical stiffness and viscosity (achieved from five distinct images in the middle part of the subcapsular cortex) from each kidney. The ten measurements’ median values correlated with the participant’s demographical, biological, and clinical parameters. Results: The mean kidney elasticity was 31.88 ± 2.89 kiloPascal (kPa), and the mean viscosity was 2.44 ± 0.57 Pascal.second (Pa.s) for a mean measurement depth 4.58 ± 1.02 cm. Renal stiffness seemed to be influenced by age (r = −0.7047, p < 0.0001), the measurement depth (r = −0.3776, p = 0.0075), and eGFR (r = 0.6101, p < 0.0001) but not by BMI (r = −0.2150, p = 0.1338), while viscosity appeared to be impacted by age (r = −0.4251, p = 0.0021), eGFR (r = 0.4057, p = 0.0038), the measurement depth (r = −0.4642, p = 0.0008), and BMI (r = −0.3676, p = 0.0086). The results of the one-way ANOVA used to test the differences in the variables among the three age sub-groups are statistically significant for both 2D-SWE PLUS (p < 0.001) and Vi PLUS (p = 0.015). The method found good intra-operator reproducibility for the 2D-SWE PLUS measurements, with an ICC of 0.8365 and a 95% CI of 0.7512 to 0.8990, and for the Vi PLUS measurements, with an ICC of 0.9 and a 95% CI of 0.8515 to 0.9397. Conclusions: Renal stiffness and viscosity screening may become an efficacious, low-cost way to gather supplemental diagnostic data from patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The findings demonstrate that these non-invasive methods are highly feasible and not influenced by gender and that their values correlate with renal function and decrease with age progression. Nevertheless, more research is required to ascertain their place in clinical practice

Relationship between Novel Elastography Techniques and Renal Fibrosis—Preliminary Experience in Patients with Chronic Glomerulonephritis

Introduction: A renal biopsy represents the gold standard in the diagnosis, prognosis, and management of patients with glomerulonephritis. So far, non-invasive elastographic techniques have not confirmed their utility in replacing a biopsy; however, the new and improved software from Hologic Supersonic Mach 30 is a promising method for assessing the renal tissue’s stiffness and viscosity. We investigated whether this elastography technique could reveal renal tissue fibrosis in patients with chronic glomerulonephritis. Materials and methods: Two-dimensional-shear wave elastography (SWE) PLUS and viscosity plane-wave ultrasound (Vi PLUS) assessments were performed in 40 patients with chronic glomerulopathies before being referred for a renal biopsy. For each kidney, the mean values of five stiffness and viscosity measures were compared with the demographic, biological, and histopathological parameters of the patients. Results: In total, 26 men and 14 women with a mean age of 52.35 ± 15.54 years, a mean estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of 53.8 ± 35.49 mL/min/1.73m2, and a mean proteinuria of 6.39 ± 7.42 g/24 h were included after providing their informed consent. Out of 40 kidney biopsies, 2 were uninterpretable with inappropriate material and were divided into four subgroups based on their fibrosis percentage. Even though these elastography techniques were unable to differentiate between separate fibrosis stages, when predicting between the fibrosis and no-fibrosis group, we found a cut-off value of <20.77 kPa with the area under the curve (AUC) of 0.860, a p < 0.001 with 88.89% sensitivity, and a 75% specificity for the 2D SWE PLUS measures and a cut-off value of <2.8 Pa.s with an AUC of 0.792, a p < 0.001 with 94% sensitivity, and a 60% specificity for the Vi PLUS measures. We also found a cut-off value of <19.75kPa for the 2D SWE PLUS measures (with an AUC of 0.789, p = 0.0001 with 100% sensitivity, and a 74.29% specificity) and a cut-off value of <1.28 Pa.s for the Vi PLUS measures (with an AUC 0.829, p = 0.0019 with 60% sensitivity, and a 94.29% specificity) differentiating between patients with over 40% fibrosis and those with under 40%. We also discovered a positive correlation between the glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and 2D-SWE PLUS values (r = 0.7065, p < 0.0001) and Vi PLUS values (r = 0.3637, p < 0.0211). C reactive protein (CRP) correlates with the Vi PLUS measures (r = -0.3695, p = 0.0189) but not with the 2D SWE PLUS measures (r = −0.2431, p = 0.1306). Conclusion: Our findings indicate that this novel elastography method can distinguish between individuals with different stages of renal fibrosis, correlate with the renal function and inflammation, and are easy to use and reproducible, but further research is needed for them to be employed routinely in clinical practice

Relationship between Novel Elastography Techniques and Renal Fibrosis—Preliminary Experience in Patients with Chronic Glomerulonephritis

Introduction: A renal biopsy represents the gold standard in the diagnosis, prognosis, and management of patients with glomerulonephritis. So far, non-invasive elastographic techniques have not confirmed their utility in replacing a biopsy; however, the new and improved software from Hologic Supersonic Mach 30 is a promising method for assessing the renal tissue’s stiffness and viscosity. We investigated whether this elastography technique could reveal renal tissue fibrosis in patients with chronic glomerulonephritis. Materials and methods: Two-dimensional-shear wave elastography (SWE) PLUS and viscosity plane-wave ultrasound (Vi PLUS) assessments were performed in 40 patients with chronic glomerulopathies before being referred for a renal biopsy. For each kidney, the mean values of five stiffness and viscosity measures were compared with the demographic, biological, and histopathological parameters of the patients. Results: In total, 26 men and 14 women with a mean age of 52.35 ± 15.54 years, a mean estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of 53.8 ± 35.49 mL/min/1.73m2, and a mean proteinuria of 6.39 ± 7.42 g/24 h were included after providing their informed consent. Out of 40 kidney biopsies, 2 were uninterpretable with inappropriate material and were divided into four subgroups based on their fibrosis percentage. Even though these elastography techniques were unable to differentiate between separate fibrosis stages, when predicting between the fibrosis and no-fibrosis group, we found a cut-off value of p p p = 0.0001 with 100% sensitivity, and a 74.29% specificity) and a cut-off value of p = 0.0019 with 60% sensitivity, and a 94.29% specificity) differentiating between patients with over 40% fibrosis and those with under 40%. We also discovered a positive correlation between the glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and 2D-SWE PLUS values (r = 0.7065, p r = 0.3637, p p = 0.0189) but not with the 2D SWE PLUS measures (r = −0.2431, p = 0.1306). Conclusion: Our findings indicate that this novel elastography method can distinguish between individuals with different stages of renal fibrosis, correlate with the renal function and inflammation, and are easy to use and reproducible, but further research is needed for them to be employed routinely in clinical practice