OBJECTIVE. The goal of this study is to evaluate the changes in the elasticity of the renal parenchyma in diabetic nephropathy using acoustic radiation force impulse imaging. SUBJECTS AND METHODS. The study included 281 healthy volunteers and 114 patients with diabetic nephropathy. In healthy volunteers, the kidney elasticity was assessed quantitatively by measuring the shear-wave velocity using acoustic radiation force impulse imaging based on age, body mass index, and sex. The changes in the renal elasticity were compared between the different stages of diabetic nephropathy and the healthy control group. RESULTS. In healthy volunteers, there was a statistically significant correlation between the shear-wave velocity values and age and sex. The shear-wave velocity values for the kidneys were 2.87, 3.14, 2.95, 2.68, and 2.55 m/s in patients with stage 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 diabetic nephropathy, respectively, compared with 2.35 m/s for healthy control subjects. Acoustic radiation force impulse imaging was able to distinguish between the different diabetic nephropathy stages (except for stage 5) in the kidneys. The threshold value for predicting diabetic nephropathy was 2.43 m/s (sensitivity, 84.1%; specificity, 67.3%; positive predictive value, 93.1%; negative predictive value 50.8%; accuracy, 72.1%; positive likelihood ratio, 2.5; and negative likelihood ratio, 0.23). CONCLUSION. Acoustic radiation force impulse imaging could be used for the evaluation of the renal elasticity changes that are due to secondary structural and functional changes in diabetic nephropathy.

The use of US guidance before and during PDT percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy could render the procedure easier and safer, with fewer complications but a slightly longer procedure time.

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The stiffness of the placenta determined by the ARFI technique is significantly higher in pre-eclampsia patients. ARFI elastography of the placenta might be used as a non-invasive and easy method in the diagnosis and evaluation of pre-eclampsia as a supplement to the already existing methods.

ARFI elastography with ARFI quantification may be useful for differentiating benign renal lesions from malignant renal tumours.