Among the newer ultrasound methods, elastography is the most widely studied, quickly achieving clinical acceptance to the extent that integrating it in BI-RADS categories is being contemplated 1 . Elastography has shown to be helpful in sub-typing the wide spectrum of BI-RADS category 4 into subtypes, in differentiating high from low grade malignancies, in predicting lymph node involvement and in avoiding follow up of probably benign lesions as categorized by gray scale ultrasound. 2 Both...

Patient selection: The study was approved by the local ethics committee and need for informed consent was waived. 69 consecutive females with normal breasts referred either for combined screening (due to dense breast tissue) or to follow-up ultrasound (due to probably benign findings, either primarily categorized as BI-RADS 3 or patients who were undergoing follow up nevertheless after benign biopsy results). Along with SWE of the lesion, SWE of the normal and fatty components of the breast...

69 females (age 40.12±10.7 yo) including 15 women ≤30 yo, 37 31-49yo and 17 ≥50 yo were included in the study. Mean elasticity of fat (13.8±1.6 kPa) & fibroglandular tissue (23.32±21.03 kPa) were significantly different (P=0.02). While women ≥50 yo showed a stiffer fibroglandular tissue than women ≤30 yrs (15.57±13.85 kPa vs 9.55±5.62kPa) this difference did not reach statistical significance (p=0.259).

Elasticity of normal breast fat and fibroglandular tissue are significantly different. While neither tissue component showed significant age-dependence, fatty tissue shows a smaller standard deviation and thus a more suitable internal standard when an internal ratio is needed.

1-Fleury ED. The importance of breast elastography added to the BI-RADS® lexicon classification. Revista da Associação Médica Brasileira. 2015 Aug;61(4):313-6. 2-Youk JH, Gweon HM, Son EJ, Han KH, Kim JA. Diagnostic value of commercially available shear-wave elastography for breast cancers: integration into BI-RADS classification with subcategories of category 4. European radiology. 2013 Oct 1;23(10):2695-704. 3-Balleyguier C, Ciolovan L, Ammari S, Canale S, Sethom S, Al Rouhbane R, Vielh P,...