Application of ARFI-SWV in Stiffness Measurement of the Abdominal Wall Musculature: A Pilot Feasibility Study

• Published in: Ultrasound in medicine & biology Vol. 44; no. 9; pp. 1978 - 1985
• Main Authors: Gabrielsen, David A., Carney, Martin J., Weissler, Jason M., Lanni, Michael A., Hernandez, Jorge, Sultan, Laith R., Enriquez, Fabiola, Sehgal, Chandra M., Fischer, John P., Chauhan, Anil
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Inc 01.09.2018
• Subjects: Abdominal Muscles - diagnostic imaging; Abdominal Muscles - pathology; Abdominal Wall - diagnostic imaging; Abdominal Wall - pathology; Abdominal wall musculature; Adult; Aged; ARFI-SWV; Cohort Studies; Elasticity Imaging Techniques - methods; Elastography; Feasibility Studies; Female; Humans; Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted - methods; Male; Middle Aged; Pilot Projects; Prospective Studies; Reproducibility of Results; Sensitivity and Specificity; Ultrasound; Young Adult; ARFI-SWV; Elastography; Ultrasound; Abdominal wall musculature
• ISSN: 0301-5629; 1879-291X; 1879-291X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2018.05.007

The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of acoustic radiation force impulse shear wave velocity and textural features for characterizing abdominal wall musculature and to identify subject-related and technique-related factors that can potentially affect measurements. Median shear wave velocity measurements for the right external abdominal oblique were the same (1.89 ± 0.16 m/s) for both the active group (healthy volunteers with active lifestyles) and the control group (age and body mass index–matched volunteers from an ongoing hernia study). When corrected for thickness, the ratio of right external abdominal oblique shear wave velocity -to-muscle thickness was significantly higher in the control group than in the active volunteers (4.33 s−1 versus 2.88 s−1; p value 0.006). From the textural features studied for right external abdominal oblique, 8 features were found to be statistically different between the active and control groups. In conclusion, shear wave velocity is a feasible and reliable technique to evaluate the stiffness of the abdominal wall musculature. Sonographic texture features add additional characterization of abdominal wall musculature.