Utility of 2-Dimensional Shear Wave Elastography for Assessment of the Bladder Wall in Children With Acute Cystitis

Ultrasound innovations in abdominal radiology: techniques and clinical applications in pediatric imaging

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound, microvascular imaging, elastography, and fat quantification have varying degrees of utility, with some applications in the pediatric setting mirroring that in adults and having unique uses when applied to children in others. This review will present novel ultrasound technologies and the clinical context in which they are applied to the pediatric abdomen. New ultrasound technologies have a broad range of applications in clinical practice and represent a powerful diagnostic tool with the potential to replace other imaging modalities, such as magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography, in specific cases.

Improved bladder diagnostics using multiparametric ultrasound

This comprehensive review examines recent advancements in the integration of multiparametric ultrasound for diagnostic imaging of the urinary bladder. It not only highlights the current state of ultrasound imaging but also projects its potential to further elevate standards of care in managing urinary bladder pathologies. Specifically, contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and elastography show significant improvements in detecting bladder tumors and assessing bladder wall mechanics compared to traditional methods. The review also explores the future potential of ultrasound-mediated nanobubble destruction (UMND) as an investigational targeted cancer therapy, showcasing a novel approach that utilizes nanobubbles to deliver therapeutic genes into tumor cells with high precision. Emerging AI-driven innovations and novel techniques, such as microvascular ultrasonography (MVUS), are proving to be powerful tools for the non-invasive and precise management of bladder conditions, offering detailed insights into bladder structure and function. These advancements collectively underscore their transformative impact on the field of urology.

Ultrasound Elastography in Children

Ultrasound elastography is a novel ultrasound technique, being extensively researched in children in the last decade. It measures tissue elasticity with the observation of tissue response after an external stimulus. From research to clinical practice, ultrasound elastography has evolved significantly in liver fibrosis evaluation in children; however, several other applications of the technique are available in both clinical practice and research environments. Practically, in children any organ can be assessed, including the brain in early ages, along with muscle and connective tissue elasticity evaluation, spleen, kidney, skin, lymphatic tissue, etc. The elastography method, age, body mass index and technical points should be considered when performing ultrasound elastography. This review highlights its vast potential as a diagnostic tool in the pediatric population, where ultrasound is a dominant imaging tool; however, the indications and exam protocol for its clinical use in several fields in pediatrics have yet to be elucidated.

Elastography in the Urological Practice: Urinary and Male Genital Tract, Prostate Excluded—Review

The aim of this article is to review the utility of elastography in the day-to-day clinical practice of the urologist. An electronic database search was performed on PubMed and Cochrane Library with a date range between January 2000 and December 2021. The search yielded 94 articles that passed the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The articles were reviewed and discussed by organ, pathology and according to the physical principle underlying the elastographic method. Elastography was used in the study of normal organs, tumoral masses, chronic upper and lower urinary tract obstructive diseases, dysfunctions of the lower urinary tract and the male reproductive system, and as a pre- and post-treatment monitoring tool. Elastography has numerous applications in urology, but due to a lack of standardization in the methodology and equipment, further studies are required.