Tissue elasticity reveals tumours
When equally compressed, the tissue and structure of tumours and inflammations are harder than normal tissue. Hitachi explains that, taking advantage of these alterations, the sono-elastography technique conducts real-time measurements of elasticity ratios during minor pressure to the breast, using conventional ultrasound transducers.
The results are colour-coded and overlaid on the conventional breast image for evaluation through various logarithms. No additional equipment or particular transducers are necessary; only a software add-on module - Hitachi SonoElastography for the Hitachi EUB-8500, the company adds - to evaluate the shifts between the individual images in consecutive ultrasound recordings and indicate, via colour-coding, the alterations in expansion and determine the site. ‘This enables differentiation of tumour tissue from healthy tissue, and of malign tumour tissue from benign tumour tissue.’ Hitachi adds. ‘Unlike conventional ultrasound procedures, sono-elastography measures larger scale shifts only in one compression phase without pseudo artifacts.’
This additional information about the visco-elasticity of breast tissue significantly increases the rate of breast cancer detection, Hitachi continues. ‘Clinical studies conducted so far have shown that, with sono-elastography, lesions can be visualised safer and faster than with conventional 2D procedures; visualisation is even possible with the lesions that are undetectable with conventional breast image sonography.’
Full details: http://www.hitachi-eu.com
20.06.2007
