Ultrasound elastographic techniques in focal liver lesions

Figure 1 Image of a focal liver lesion obtained by static real-time elastography: The focal liver lesion appears hyperechoic at ultrasound image (left) and stiffer (predominantly blue) in the elasticity image. At histology the lesion revealed to be a hepatocellular carcinoma.

Figure 2 Transient elastography uses a low-frequency pulsed excitation to generate shear waves in the tissue, with the velocity of the shear wave - established to be related to tissue stiffness - to be measured with an ultrasound pulse-echo technique and used to calculate the elasticity.

Figure 3 Shear wave ultrasound elastography allows to gather information on the tissue stiffness of both the parenchyma and focal liver lesion, obtaining a quantitative assessment.