Objectives The purpose of this study was to prospectively investigate the value of real‐time ultrasound elastography for diagnosis of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B and to correlate the elastographic findings with histologic stages of liver fibrosis and blood parameters. Methods Liver biopsies, blood testing, and real‐time elastography were performed in 71 patients with chronic viral hepatitis B and liver cirrhosis. The ratio of the elastic strain of liver tissue to that of muscle tissue was determined and correlated with the histologic fibrosis stages and laboratory examination results. Results There was a highly negative correlation between the elastic strain ratio and the histologic fibrosis stage (Spearman r = −0.702; P < .001). There was a high correlation observed between a decreasing elastic strain ratio and an increasing fibrosis stage. With substantial liver fibrosis (Scheuer score ≥S2) and cirrhosis (S4) as diagnostic criteria, the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) of the elastic strain ratios were 0.863 and 0.797, respectively. The AUC for substantial fibrosis was higher than the AUC for the blood parameters used to diagnose substantial liver fibrosis. Elastic strain ratio cutoff values of 1.10 and 0.60 were identified as diagnostic of substantial fibrosis and cirrhosis, respectively, with sensitivities of 77.8% and 50.0%, respectively, and specificities of 80.0% and 96.7%. Conclusions Real‐time elastography is a new clinically promising and noninvasive method for quantitative assessment of liver fibrosis.

Objectives To assess the feasibility and performance of Turbulence (Tur) index as a quantitative tool for carotid artery flow turbulence; to detect and compare the blood flow patterns of common carotid artery (CCA) and carotid bulb (CB) at different ages and cardiac phases in healthy adults, and thus interpret the evolvement of etiology difference between CCA and CB. Methods Carotid flow characteristics of 40 healthy volunteers were evaluated quantitatively by a high‐frame rate vector flow imaging. Three types of flow patterns were defined depending on the distributive range of complex flow during systole in CB. Comparison of mean Tur value in CCA and CB at different age groups and cardiac phases was performed. And the correlation between Tur value and the diameter ratio of proximal internal carotid artery to common carotid artery (DRpro‐ica/cca) was tested. Results Mean Tur values in CB were remarkably higher than that in CCA, whether during systole or diastole (P < .001). Meanwhile Tur values in CB during systole were significantly higher than that during diastole (P < .001). Flow complexity of CB showed variations among 40 participants especially in systole, whereas the flow pattern of CCA was relatively consistent. Mean Tur values were positively correlated with DRpro‐ica/cca in CB (ρ = 0.69, P < .05). Conclusions V Flow imaging provided a reliable method—Tur, for quantitative analysis of carotid blood flow. It had potential to be further applied in distinguishing complex hemodynamic characteristics in high‐risk people of carotid diseases for the risk stratification of cardiovascular events.

ObjectivesTo investigate the feasibility of the vector flow imaging (V Flow) technique to measure peripheral arterial hemodynamic parameters, including wall shear stress (WSS) and turbulence index (Tur) in healthy adults, and compare the results in different arteries.Materials and methodsFifty-two healthy adult volunteers were recruited in this study. The maximum and mean values of WSS, and the Tur values at early-systole, mid-systole, late-systole, and early diastole for total 156 normal peripheral arteries [common carotid arteries (CCA), subclavian arteries (SCA), and common femoral arteries (CFA)] were assessed using the V Flow technique.ResultsThe mean WSS values for CCA, SCA, and CFA were (1.66 ± 0.68) Pa, (0.62 ± 0.30) Pa, and (0.56 ± 0.27) Pa, respectively. The mean Tur values for CCA, SCA, and CFA were (0.46 ± 1.09%), (20.7 ± 9.06%), and (24.63 ± 17.66%), respectively. The CCA and SCA, as well as the CCA and CFA, showed statistically significant differences in the mean WSS and the mean Tur (P &lt; 0.01). The mean Tur values had a negative correlation with the mean WSS; the correlation coefficient between log(Tur) and WSS is −0.69 (P &lt; 0.05).ConclusionV Flow technique is a simple, practical, and feasible quantitative imaging approach for assessing WSS and Tur in peripheral arteries. It has the potential to be a useful tool for evaluating atherosclerotic plaques in peripheral arteries. The results provide a new quantitative foundation for future investigations into diverse arterial hemodynamic parameters.

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of ultrasound elastography in the differentiation of benign and malignant breast non-mass lesions (NMLs). Methods: PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase databases were searched for eligible studies up to end of June 2021. The diagnostic performance of elastography for NMLs was investigated using pooled sensitivity and specificity, likelihood ratio, diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), post-test probability, and the area under hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic curve (HSROC). Results: Eleven studies involving 812 NMLs (malignant 414) were included. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, DOR, positive likelihood ratio, and negative likelihood of elastography for the differentiation of benign and malignant breast NMLs were 79% (95 %CI: 71-85), 86% (95 %CI: 79-91), ), and 0.24 (95 %CI: 0.17-0.34), respectively. No significant publication bias existed. The area under the HSROC curve was 90% (95 %CI: 87-92). Fagan plots demonstrated good clinical utility. However, substantial heterogeneity existed. Country, measurement index, and number of lesions served as potential sources of heterogeneity. Conclusions:The results of this study suggest that elastography has high diagnostic accuracy in differentiating between malignant and benign NMLs. Elastography can be a feasible and non-invasive tool for breast NMLs.