Improvement of Shear Wave Motion Detection Using Harmonic Imaging in Healthy Human Liver

• Published in: Ultrasound in medicine & biology Vol. 42; no. 5; pp. 1031 - 1041
• Main Authors: Amador, Carolina, Song, Pengfei, Meixner, Duane D., Chen, Shigao, Urban, Matthew W.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Inc 01.05.2016
• Subjects: Adult; Elastic Modulus - physiology; Elasticity Imaging Techniques - methods; Female; Filter-based harmonic imaging; Humans; Image Enhancement - methods; Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted - methods; In vivo; Liver - diagnostic imaging; Liver - physiology; Liver elasticity; Male; Radiology; Reproducibility of Results; Scattering, Radiation; Sensitivity and Specificity; Shear Strength - physiology; Shear wave elasticity imaging; Stress, Mechanical; Ultrasonic Waves; Shear wave elasticity imaging; Liver elasticity; Filter-based harmonic imaging; In vivo
• ISSN: 0301-5629; 1879-291X; 1879-291X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2015.12.012

Quantification of liver elasticity is a major application of shear wave elasticity imaging (SWEI) to non-invasive assessment of liver fibrosis stages. SWEI measurements can be highly affected by ultrasound image quality. Ultrasound harmonic imaging has exhibited a significant improvement in ultrasound image quality as well as for SWEI measurements. This was previously illustrated in cardiac SWEI. The purpose of this study was to evaluate liver shear wave particle displacement detection and shear wave velocity (SWV) measurements with fundamental and filter-based harmonic ultrasound imaging. In a cohort of 17 patients with no history of liver disease, a 2.9-fold increase in maximum shear wave displacement, a 0.11 m/s decrease in the overall interquartile range and median SWV and a 17.6% increase in the success rate of SWV measurements were obtained when filter-based harmonic imaging was used instead of fundamental imaging.