Assessment of ultrasound shear wave elastography within muscles using different region of interest sizes, manufacturers, probes and acquisition angles: an ex vivo study

Background: The application of shear wave elastography (SWE) in assessment of the musculoskeletal system is affected by various factors. This study aimed to explore the influence of machines, probes, region of interest (ROI) sizes, and the acquisition angles on muscle shear wave speed (SWS). Methods: The SWS of ex vivo isolated muscles were acquired using 3 different machines (Aixplorer system, SuperSonic Imagine; Acuson S3000, Siemens Healthcare; Resona 7, Mindray) and 2 linear probes (Aixplorer system, SL 10-2 and SL 15-4). Also, 4 different ROI sizes (diameter 1-10 mm) and 9 different acquisition angles (0-40 degrees) were tested. The SWS acquired under different conditions were compared, and the intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) were used to evaluate reproducibility. Results: There was a significant difference in SWS acquired using the 3 different machines (P<0.001) or with 9 different angles (P=0.008). There was no significant difference in SWS acquired using 2 probes (P=0.053) or 4 different ROI sizes (P=0.874, 0.778, and 0.865 for 3 operators, respectively). All machines produced substantial intra-system reproducibility (ICC, 0.61-0.80). Both probes demonstrated an almost perfect degree of intra-system agreement (ICC, >0.80), and nearly all ROI sizes demonstrated an almost perfect degree of intra-and inter-operator agreement (ICC, >0.80). The measurement reliability was higher when the acquisition angles were no more than 20 degrees. Conclusions: The 3 machines had different SWS values. Attention should be paid when comparing SWS results using different machines. For the Aixplorer system, the ROI size had no effect on the SWS values. Angles larger than 25 degrees will lead to SWS measurements with greater variability compared to smaller angles (<= 20 degrees).

Automated summary

This study investigates the influence of machines, probes, ROI sizes, and acquisition angles on muscle shear wave speed (SWS) in the musculoskeletal system. The results suggest that different machines and acquisition angles can lead to SWS differences, while probes and ROI sizes do not significantly affect SWS values. The reliability of measurements is limited by the choice of acquisition angles.