Elastography

Elastography is a newer imaging technique, a further development of both diagnostic ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging ( MRI), and is actually on the centuries-old manual palpation by the hand. It was already known in 1991, but has become clinically apparent later use. The procedures are the Ultraschallelastographie and the MR elastography. Elastography is frequently used for the detection of tumors.

Principle of operation

Analogous to the manual palpation elastography uses the fact that tumor tissue often different komprimibel ( solid, rough ) than healthy tissue. With this method, it is attempted to map the viscoelastic properties of tissues. In ultraschallelastographischen studies, the examiner performs during the ultrasound examination with the ultrasound head a small external pressure on the organ from. A software evaluates small shifts between the individual pictures and shows the strain of spatially resolved. Areas that are severely stretched, are soft, solid areas can not be compressed. Therefore, differences in elasticity can be represented in the tissue. In the automatic MRI Elastography is automatically compressed by externally applied pressure waves the investigated organ cyclically and again relieved, while synchronous ( phase-locked ) recordings are made. Automatically Elastogram is manufactured according to the study that shows the differences in elasticity. It may be possible to distinguish benign from malignant tumors.

Sonoelastische the imaging is a similar process in which the propagation velocity of ultrasound in the tissue is detected by the Doppler technique.

One application is in the detection of prostate cancer and breast cancer. However, an accurate diagnosis to be made ​​by the analysis of a biopsy, in both cases.

The technique is also used to investigate the extensibility / elasticity of the coronary arteries.

Literature

  • H.-J. Sommerfeld, J. M. Garcia- Schürmann, J. Schewe et al: Prostate cancer diagnosis by Ultraschallelastographie - Presentation of a novel method and initial clinical results. In: The urologist, Issue A. Vol 42, No. 7, 2003, pp. 941-945. PMID 12898038; doi: 10.1007/s00120-003-0297-4.
  • J. Lorenzen, R. Sinkus, G. Adam: Elastography: Quantitative imaging of the elastic properties of tissues. In: Fortschr. Röntgenstr. Vol 175, No. 5, 2003, pp. 623-630. PMID 12743853; doi: 10.1055/s-2003-39199.
  • I. bag: magnetic resonance elastography. In: Dtsch. med Wochenschr. Vol 133, No. 6, 2008, pp. 247-251. PMID 18236351; doi: 10.1055/s-2008-1017505.
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