Intra-system reliability assessment of 2-dimensional shear wave elastography

Abstract

The availability of 2-Dimensional Shear Wave Elastography (2D-SWE) technology on modern medical ultrasound systems is becoming increasingly common. The technology is now being used to investigate a range of soft tissues and related pathological conditions. This work investigated the reliability of a single commercial 2D-SWE system using a tissue-mimicking elastography phantom to understand the major causes of intra-system variability. Sources of shear wave velocity (SWV) measurement variability relates to imaging depth, target stiffness, sampling technique and the operator. Higher SWV measurement variability was evident with increasing depth and stiffness of the phantom targets. The influence of the operator was minimal, and variations in sampling technique had little impact on the SWV.