Usefulness of elastography as a complement in the ultrasound diagnosis of musculoskeletal injuries, a systematic review

Abstract

Since the annals of the history of medicine, the hardness of tissues has been associated with inflammatory or tumor pathologies when compared to healthy soft tissues, the use of high-frequency ultrasound in B mode and Doppler have been widely recognized for the diagnosis and follow-up of musculoskeletal injuries for decades. Despite this, it presents limitations for detecting early onset pathologies. The development of new technologies incorporated into ultrasound equipment such as elastography have been an important tool to overcome these barriers, and therefore provide the ultrasound study recognized for its high availability, low cost and safety with an extra advantage. The use of compression elastography, but especially shear wave elastography (SWE) has inspired researchers around the world to study the biomechanical properties of tissues such as muscles, tendons, fascia, ligaments and nerves, and possible changes in stiffness induced by pathological processes for a correct diagnosis of injuries.