The breast section of these Guidelines and Recommendations for Elastography produced under the auspices of the World Federation of Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (WFUMB) assesses the clinically used applications of all forms of elastography used in breast imaging. The literature on various breast elastography techniques is reviewed, and recommendations are made on evidence-based results. Practical advice is given on how to perform and interpret breast elastography for optimal results, with emphasis placed on avoiding pitfalls. Artifacts are reviewed, and the clinical utility of some artifacts is discussed. Both strain and shear wave techniques have been shown to be highly accurate in characterizing breast lesions as benign or malignant. The relationship between the various techniques is discussed, and recommended interpretation based on a BI-RADS-like malignancy probability scale is provided. This document is intended to be used as a reference and to guide clinical users in a practical way.

The proposed CAD algorithm could effectively and reliably differentiate benign and malignant lesions. The proposed morphologic features were nearly setting independent and could tolerate reasonable variation in boundary delineation.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the morphologic changes in the ulnar nerve in cubital tunnel syndrome with high-resolution ultrasonography. The mean values of the short axis (cm) x long axis (cm) at the arm, epicondyle, and forearm levels were 0.057 +/- 0.01, 0.068 +/- 0.019, and 0.062 +/- 0.01 in control group; 0.069 +/- 0.04, 0.139 +/- 0.06, and 0.066 +/- 0.023 in the symptomatic side in patients with cubital tunnel syndrome; and 0.063 +/- 0.029, 0.068 +/- 0.029, and 0.057 +/- 0.012 in the normal side in patients with cubital tunnel syndrome. No significant difference was found in the area (short axis x long axis) of the ulnar nerve at the arm, epicondyle and forearm levels between the left and right ulnar nerve in the control group and between the control group and the normal side in symptomatic patients. However, the mean value of the area of the ulnar nerve at the epicondyle level in symptomatic patients was significantly larger than that of the control group and that of the contralateral side in patients, and the P value was less than 0.001. High resolution ultrasonography can detect morphologic changes in the ulnar nerve accurately, and it could therefore be useful as a screening and even follow-up modality in patients with cubital tunnel syndrome.

Objective. To use color Doppler ultrasonography to evaluate the morphology and vascularity of calcific tendonitis and to predict the formative and resorptive phases of the calcification. Methods. Ninetyfour patients with shoulder calcification on plain radiographs were enrolled in this study. Ultrasonography of the shoulder was focused on the rotator cuff. Color Doppler ultrasonography was applied in the calcific region. Patient symptoms were graded as painless, mild, moderate, and severe. The calcific plaques were classified as arc-shaped, fragmented or punctate, nodular, and cystic types. Color Doppler ultrasonographic signals were graded 0 to 3. The formative and resorptive phases of calcification were categorized by patient symptoms; acute onset of moderate or severe pain indicated the resorptive phase. Results. The calcific plaques appeared arc shaped in 59 patients (20 painless, 19 mild, and 20 moderate), fragmented or punctate in 27 (2 painless, 3 mild, 20 moderate, and 2 severe), nodular in 6 (1 moderate and 5 severe), and cystic in 2 (severe). There was a significant difference between the morphology of the calcific plaques and clinical symptoms (P < .01). On color Doppler ultrasonography, grade 0 signals were found in 28 patients (22 painless and 6 with mild pain); grade 1 in 18 (16 mild and 2 severe); grade 2 in 41 (all moderate); and grade 3 in 7 (all severe). The correspondence between color Doppler ultrasonographic findings and clinical symptoms was excellent (P < .01). Conclusions. High-resolution ultrasonography with color Doppler imaging could differentiate the formative and resorptive phases of the calcification and could be used as a follow-up modality in calcific tendonitis of the shoulder. Key words: shoulder; calcification; ultrasonography; color Doppler ultrasonography. General Hospital-Taipei, School of Medicine, National Yang Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China; and Section of Radiology, Taipei Municipal Ho-Ping Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China (D.-Y.H.)

Ultrasonography with color Doppler imaging is a good modality for characterizing most soft-tissue masses, and tumor size > 5 cm and having infiltrated margin highly suggests malignancy.