The Journal of Practical Medicine >

2025 , Vol. 41 >Issue 18: 2806 - 2811

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.1006-5725.2025.18.004

Feature Reports：Breast carcinoma

Evaluation of the diagnostic value of sound touch viscoelastography combined with shear wave elastography in breast cancer diagnosis

  • Zhao LIU ,
  • Hui LI ,
  • Minmin WANG ,
  • Kun WANG ,
  • Feifei LIU ,
  • Yuhua WANG ,
  • Wenxiao ZHANG
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  • Department of Ultrasound Medicine，Binzhou Medical University Hospital，Binzhou 256603，Shandong，China

Received date: 2025-04-23

  Online published: 2025-09-25

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Abstract

Objective To evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of sound touch viscoelastography （STVi） and shear wave elastography （SWE） in distinguishing between benign and malignant breast nodules. Methods A total of 104 breast nodules （52 benign and 52 malignant） from 102 patients scheduled for surgical treatment at Binzhou Medical University Hospital between October 2024 and February 2025 were prospectively enrolled. All nodules were pathologically confirmed through surgical excision or core needle biopsy. The viscosity coefficient and Young′s modulus of both intranodular and perinodular tissues within a 2-mm range were measured using the Mindray Resona A20S ultrasound system. The diagnostic performance of each parameter， the correlation between elastic parameter values and the maximum nodule diameter， as well as the inter-correlation between the two parameters were systematically analyzed. Results The elasticity parameters were significantly higher in malignant nodules ［maximum intranodular Viscosity coefficient （Vimax）： 5.93 （4.33， 8.47） Pa·s， maximum Young′s modulus （Emax）： 81.18 （58.31， 120.33） kPa； maximum Viscosity coefficient of the surrounding 2-mm tissue （Vi2max）： 7.57 （5.40， 10.16） Pa·s， maximum Young's modulus （E2max）： 117.21 （65.66， 170.66） kPa］ compared to benign nodules ［Vimax： 3.70 （2.69， 5.32） Pa·s， Emax： 41.42 （28.29， 64.25） kPa； Vi2max： 4.30 （3.63， 5.65） Pa·s， E2max： 47.23 （36.42， 74.67） kPa］ （P < 0.05）. The diagnostic performance of the 2-mm perinodular tissue （Vi2max： 0.78， E2max： 0.81） surpassed that of intranodular tissue （Vimax： 0.72， Emax： 0.77） （P < 0.05）. The combined diagnostic model （Vi2+E2，Vi+E） achieved AUC values of 0.82 and 0.77， respectively， which outperformed STVi alone （P < 0.05） and showed marginally better performance than SWE alone， although the difference was not statistically significant （P > 0.05）. The maximum nodule diameter showed a moderate correlation with the elasticity parameters， with E2max exhibiting the strongest correlation （r = 0.510，P < 0.05）. Conclusions Both STVi and SWE show clinical value in distinguishing between benign and malignant breast nodules. Particularly， elasticity parameters obtained from the 2-mm perinodular tissue demonstrate better diagnostic performance than those measured within the nodule itself， and combining these parameters enhances the overall diagnostic accuracy of STVi.

Key words： breast nodules; sound touch viscoelastography; shear wave elastography; benign-malignant differentiation; maximum diameter of the nodule

Cite this article

Zhao LIU , Hui LI , Minmin WANG , Kun WANG , Feifei LIU , Yuhua WANG , Wenxiao ZHANG . Evaluation of the diagnostic value of sound touch viscoelastography combined with shear wave elastography in breast cancer diagnosis[J]. The Journal of Practical Medicine, 2025 , 41(18) : 2806 -2811 . DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1006-5725.2025.18.004

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