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Kuder IM, Rock M, Jones GG, Amis AA, Cegla FB, van Arkel RJ. An Optimization Approach for Creating Application-specific Ultrasound Speckle Tracking Algorithms. ULTRASOUND IN MEDICINE & BIOLOGY 2024:S0301-5629(24)00141-8. [PMID: 38714465 DOI: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2024.03.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2023] [Revised: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 03/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/09/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Ultrasound speckle tracking enables in vivo measurement of soft tissue deformation or strain, providing a non-invasive diagnostic tool to quantify tissue health. However, adoption into new fields is challenging since algorithms need to be tuned with gold-standard reference data that are expensive or impractical to acquire. Here, we present a novel optimization approach that only requires repeated measurements, which can be acquired for new applications where reference data might not be readily available or difficult to get hold of. METHODS Soft tissue motion was captured using ultrasound for the medial collateral ligament (MCL) of three quasi-statically loaded porcine stifle joints, and medial ligamentous structures of a dynamically loaded human cadaveric knee joint. Using a training subset, custom speckle tracking algorithms were created for the porcine and human ligaments using surrogate optimization, which aimed to maximize repeatability by minimizing the normalized standard deviation of calculated strain maps for repeat measurements. An unseen test subset was then used to validate the tuned algorithms by comparing the ultrasound strains to digital image correlation (DIC) surface strains (porcine specimens) and length change values of the optically tracked ligament attachments (human specimens). RESULTS After 1500 iterations, the optimization routine based on the porcine and human training data converged to similar values of normalized standard deviations of repeat strain maps (porcine: 0.19, human: 0.26). Ultrasound strains calculated for the independent test sets using the tuned algorithms closely matched the DIC measurements for the porcine quasi-static measurements (R > 0.99, RMSE < 0.59%) and the length change between the tracked ligament attachments for the dynamic human dataset (RMSE < 6.28%). Furthermore, strains in the medial ligamentous structures of the human specimen during flexion showed a strong correlation with anterior/posterior position on the ligaments (R > 0.91). CONCLUSION Adjusting ultrasound speckle tracking algorithms using an optimization routine based on repeatability led to robust and reliable results with low RMSE for the medial ligamentous structures of the knee. This tool may be equally beneficial in other soft-tissue displacement or strain measurement applications and can assist in the development of novel ultrasonic diagnostic tools to assess soft tissue biomechanics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabelle M Kuder
- Imperial College London Department of Mechanical Engineering, London, UK
| | | | - Gareth G Jones
- Imperial College London Department of Surgery and Cancer, London, UK
| | - Andrew A Amis
- Imperial College London Department of Mechanical Engineering, London, UK
| | - Frederic B Cegla
- Imperial College London Department of Mechanical Engineering, London, UK
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Hirooka M, Koizumi Y, Nakamura Y, Yano R, Hirooka K, Morita M, Imai Y, Tokumoto Y, Abe M, Hiasa Y. B-mode shear wave elastography can be an alternative method to vibration-controlled transient elastography according to a moderate-scale population study. J Med Ultrason (2001) 2023; 50:473-483. [PMID: 37402022 DOI: 10.1007/s10396-023-01333-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/05/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE We aimed to compare vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE) with shear wave elastography (SWE) without previous analysis and generate regression equations between VCTE and new point SWE using combination-elastography. METHODS Overall, 829 patients with chronic liver disease were enrolled in this study. Patients with a skin-liver capsule distance > 25 mm were excluded. The reproducibility of VCTE and SWE was confirmed in a phantom study and a clinical study. Considering that combination-elastography allows measurement based on strain elastography, a similar analysis was performed for the liver fibrosis index (LFI), which is a quantitative value for evaluation of liver fibrosis calculated using strain elastography image features. Regression equations between the VCTE and SWE values were obtained based on linear regression analysis. RESULTS In the phantom study and clinical study, there was a strong correlation between VCTE and SWE [r = 0.995 (p < 0.001) and r = 0.747 (p < 0.001), respectively). The regression equation between VCTE and SWE was VCTE (kPa) = 1.09 × point SWE (kPa) - 0.17. The Bland-Altman plots revealed no statistically significant bias. Meanwhile, there was no correlation between VCTE and LFI (r = 0.279). There was a statistically significant bias between VCTE and LFI in the Bland-Altman plots. The inter-operator reliability showed a good intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.760 (95% confidence interval: 0.720-0.779). CONCLUSION Liver stiffness measured using point SWE was comparable to that measured using VCTE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masashi Hirooka
- Department of Gastroenterology and Metabology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Shitsukawa 454, Toon, Ehime, 791-0295, Japan.
| | - Yohei Koizumi
- Department of Gastroenterology and Metabology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Shitsukawa 454, Toon, Ehime, 791-0295, Japan
| | - Yoshiko Nakamura
- Department of Gastroenterology and Metabology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Shitsukawa 454, Toon, Ehime, 791-0295, Japan
| | - Ryo Yano
- Department of Gastroenterology and Metabology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Shitsukawa 454, Toon, Ehime, 791-0295, Japan
| | - Kana Hirooka
- Department of Gastroenterology and Metabology, National Hospital Organization Ehime Medical Center, Toon, Japan
| | - Makoto Morita
- Department of Gastroenterology and Metabology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Shitsukawa 454, Toon, Ehime, 791-0295, Japan
| | - Yusuke Imai
- Department of Gastroenterology and Metabology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Shitsukawa 454, Toon, Ehime, 791-0295, Japan
| | - Yoshio Tokumoto
- Department of Gastroenterology and Metabology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Shitsukawa 454, Toon, Ehime, 791-0295, Japan
| | - Masanori Abe
- Department of Gastroenterology and Metabology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Shitsukawa 454, Toon, Ehime, 791-0295, Japan
| | - Yoichi Hiasa
- Department of Gastroenterology and Metabology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Shitsukawa 454, Toon, Ehime, 791-0295, Japan
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Wang Y, Ono S, Johnson MP, Larson NB, Lynch T, Urban MW. Evaluating Variability of Commercial Liver Fibrosis Elastography Phantoms. ULTRASOUND IN MEDICINE & BIOLOGY 2023; 49:1018-1030. [PMID: 36690519 DOI: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2022.12.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Liver fibrosis has been found to increase the mechanical stiffness of the liver. To mimic different stages of liver fibrosis, commercially available phantoms (Model 039, CIRS, Inc.) have been produced for clinical quality assurance and research purposes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the mechanical property variability of the phantoms in two lots of CIRS Model 039 phantoms. METHODS Each lot consisted of phantoms of four stiffness types, and there were 8-10 phantoms of each type. Shear wave elastography measurements were conducted on each phantom at 10 different angles. Group velocity measurements and phase velocity curves were calculated for every SWE acquisition. Multilevel functional principal component analysis (MFPCA) was performed on phase velocity data, which decomposes each phase velocity curve into the sum of eigenfunctions of two levels. The variance of the component scores of levels 1 and 2 were used to represent inter-phantom and intra-phantom variability, respectively. The 95% confidence intervals of phase velocity in a phantom type were calculated to reflect curve variability. DISCUSSION The standard deviations of the group velocity for phantoms of any type were less than 0.04 and 0.02 m/s for lots 1 and 2, respectively. For both lots, in every type, the phase velocity curves of most individual phantoms fall within the 95% confidence interval. CONCLUSION MFPCA is an effective tool for analyzing the inter- and intra-phantom variability of phase velocity curves. Given the known variability of a fully tested lot, estimation of the variability of a new lot can be performed with a reduced number of phantoms tested.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuqi Wang
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
| | | | - Matthew P Johnson
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Division of Clinical Trials and Biostatistics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Nicholas B Larson
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Division of Clinical Trials and Biostatistics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | | | - Matthew W Urban
- Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA; Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
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Dasgupta T, Manickam V. Fibrosis in Liver and Pancreas: a Review on Pathogenic Significance, Diagnostic Options, and Current Management Strategies. Inflammation 2023; 46:824-834. [PMID: 36595108 DOI: 10.1007/s10753-022-01776-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2022] [Revised: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Inflammation is one of the most natural ways of the body's biological response against invading foreign pathogens or injured cells which eventually can lead to a chronic or acute productive response. Fibrosis is an end-stage event associated with an inflammatory response addressed with tissue hardening, discoloration, and most importantly overgrowth of associated tissue. Various organs at different diseased conditions are affected by fibrosis including the liver, pancreas, brain, kidney, and lung. Etiological factors including internal like inflammatory cytokines, growth factors, and oxidative stress and external like alcohol and viruses contribute to the development of fibrosis in both the liver and pancreas. More frequently, these organs are associated with pathogenic progression towards fibrosis from acute and chronic conditions and eventually fail in their functions. The pathogenesis of the organ-fibrotic events mainly depends on the activation of residential stellate cells; these cells help to accumulate collagen in respective organs. Various diagnostic options have been developed recently, and various therapeutic options are in trial to tackle fibrosis. In this review, an overview on fibrosis, the pathogenesis of fibrosis in the liver and pancreas, various diagnostic options developed in recent years, and possible present therapeutic measures to overcome options of fibrosis in the liver and pancreas; thus, restoring the functional status of organs is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiasha Dasgupta
- Department of Bio Sciences, School of Biosciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, 632014, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Venkatraman Manickam
- Department of Bio Sciences, School of Biosciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, 632014, Tamil Nadu, India.
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Imamura Y, Kumagi T, Kuroda T, Koizumi M, Yoshida O, Kanemitsu K, Tada F, Tanaka Y, Hirooka M, Hiasa Y. Pancreas stiffness in liver cirrhosis is an indicator of insulin secretion caused by portal hypertension and pancreatic congestion. Hepatol Res 2021; 51:775-785. [PMID: 34018285 DOI: 10.1111/hepr.13672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Revised: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
AIM Portal hypertension induces pancreatic congestion and impaired insulin secretion in patients with liver cirrhosis (LC). However, its mechanism is unclear, with no established noninvasive imaging method for the evaluation of its pathogeneses. The present study focused on pancreas stiffness, as assessed by shear wave elastography (SWE), and examined its association with portal hypertension and insulin secretion. METHODS Shear wave elastography and contrast-enhanced ultrasonography were utilized to evaluate pancreas stiffness and congestion, respectively. A glucagon challenge test was used for insulin secretion assessment. Furthermore, rat models of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4 )-induced LC and portal hypertension were used to identify the direct effects of pancreatic congestion. Immunohistochemistry staining of the pancreas was carried out on human autopsy samples. RESULTS Pancreas stiffness measured by SWE was higher in patients with LC than in controls and showed significant correlation with pancreatic congestion. The glucagon challenge test indicated a lower value for the change in C-peptide immunoreactivity in the LC group, which was inversely correlated with pancreas stiffness and congestion. Additionally, portal hypertension and insulin secretion dysfunction were confirmed in CCl4 rat models. Autopsy of human samples revealed congestive and fibrotic changes in the pancreas and the relationship between insulin secretion and their factors in patients with LC. CONCLUSIONS In patients with LC, pancreas stiffness measured by SWE could be a potential noninvasive test for evaluating pancreatic congestion and fibrosis due to portal hypertension. Moreover, it was associated with impaired insulin secretion, and could aid in guiding the treatment for hepatogenous diabetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshiki Imamura
- Department of Gastroenterology and Metabology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Ehime, Japan
| | - Teru Kumagi
- Department of Gastroenterology and Metabology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Ehime, Japan.,Postgraduate Medical Education Center, Ehime University Hospital, Ehime, Japan
| | - Taira Kuroda
- Department of Gastroenterology and Metabology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Ehime, Japan
| | - Mitsuhito Koizumi
- Department of Gastroenterology and Metabology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Ehime, Japan
| | - Osamu Yoshida
- Department of Gastroenterology and Metabology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Ehime, Japan
| | - Kozue Kanemitsu
- Department of Gastroenterology and Metabology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Ehime, Japan
| | - Fujimasa Tada
- Department of Internal Medicine, Saiseikai Matsuyama Hospital, Ehime, Japan
| | - Yoshinori Tanaka
- Department of Gastroenterology, Matsuyama Shimin Hospital, Ehime, Japan
| | - Masashi Hirooka
- Department of Gastroenterology and Metabology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Ehime, Japan
| | - Yoichi Hiasa
- Department of Gastroenterology and Metabology, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Ehime, Japan
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Yoshino K, Taura K, Okuda Y, Ikeno Y, Uemoto Y, Nishio T, Yamamoto G, Tanabe K, Koyama Y, Seo S, Kaido T, Okajima H, Imai T, Tanaka S, Uemoto S. Efficiency of acoustic radiation force impulse imaging for the staging of graft fibrosis after liver transplantation. Hepatol Res 2019; 49:394-403. [PMID: 30471140 DOI: 10.1111/hepr.13289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2018] [Revised: 11/15/2018] [Accepted: 11/19/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
AIM Liver biopsy is the gold standard for assessing liver fibrosis (LF) after liver transplantation (LT), but its invasiveness limits its utility. This study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of liver stiffness measurement (LSM) using acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) imaging to assess LF after LT. METHODS Between September 2013 and January 2017, 278 patients who underwent liver biopsy after LT in Kyoto University Hospital (Kyoto, Japan) were prospectively enrolled. Liver stiffness measurement was carried out using ARFI imaging; its value was expressed as shear wave velocity (Vs) [m/s]. The LF was evaluated according to METAVIR score (F0-F4). The diagnostic performance of Vs for F2≤ and F3≤ was assessed and compared with that of laboratory tests using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. RESULTS The median Vs values increased according to the progression of LF (F0, 1.18 (0.78-1.92); F1, 1.35 (0.72-3.54); F2, 1.55 (1.05-3.37); F3, 1.84 (1.41-2.97)). The Vs had the highest area under the ROC curve (AUROC) for the prediction of both F2 ≤ and F3 ≤ fibrosis (F2, 0.77; and F3, 0.85). With the cut-off value of Vs >1.31, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 89.4%, 53.3%, 37.3%, and 94.2% in predicting F2≤, respectively. Shear wave velocity diagnosed LF better than any laboratory tests regardless of the type of primary disease. CONCLUSIONS Acoustic radiation force impulse helps to assess graft LF after LT. The high sensitivity suggested that ARFI might reduce the frequency of liver biopsies by detecting patients who are unlikely to have significant fibrosis after LT. (Unique trial no. UMIN R000028296.).
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenji Yoshino
- Department of Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Kojiro Taura
- Department of Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Yukihiro Okuda
- Department of Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Yoshinobu Ikeno
- Department of Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Yusuke Uemoto
- Department of Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Takahiro Nishio
- Department of Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Gen Yamamoto
- Department of Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Kazutaka Tanabe
- Department of Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Yukinori Koyama
- Department of Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Satoru Seo
- Department of Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Toshimi Kaido
- Department of Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Hideaki Okajima
- Department of Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Takumi Imai
- Department of Clinical Biostatistics/Clinical Biostatistics Course, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine and Public Health, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Shiro Tanaka
- Department of Clinical Biostatistics/Clinical Biostatistics Course, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine and Public Health, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Shinji Uemoto
- Department of Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
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Tajiri K, Kawai K, Sugiyama T. Reply to "Letter to Editor submitted by Rui Huang et al. entitled potential clinical application of strain elastography in chronic liver diseases". J Gastroenterol 2018; 53:797-798. [PMID: 29623438 DOI: 10.1007/s00535-018-1461-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Kazuto Tajiri
- Department of Gastroenterology, Toyama University Hospital, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama, 930-0194, Japan.
| | - Kengo Kawai
- Department of Gastroenterology, Toyama University Hospital, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama, 930-0194, Japan
| | - Toshiro Sugiyama
- Department of Gastroenterology, Toyama University Hospital, 2630 Sugitani, Toyama, 930-0194, Japan
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Huang R, Wang J, Xia J, Hao Y, Wu C. Potential clinical application of strain elastography in chronic liver diseases. J Gastroenterol 2018; 53:795-796. [PMID: 29623439 DOI: 10.1007/s00535-018-1457-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2017] [Accepted: 09/11/2017] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Rui Huang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jian Wang
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Juan Xia
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yingying Hao
- Department of Intensive Care Unit, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Chao Wu
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
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