Real-time tissue elastography assessment of skin and subcutaneous tissue strains in legs with lymphedema

摘要

Purpose To confirm the feasibility of assessing strains of the skin and subcutaneous tissue in normal legs and legs with lymphedema via free-hand real-time tissue elastography (RTE) using a phantom. Methods After placing a phantom on the skin, we measured the strains of the phantom (S_p), skin (S_(sk)), and subcutaneous tissue (S_(sc)) of the inner thigh and calf by freehand RTE in 35 healthy volunteers. A reference S_p was set using these data. We then assessed S_(sk) and S_(sc) in each leg of 15 patients with unilateral stage II lymphedema. Results In the healthy volunteers, the strain was largest in the subcutaneous tissue of the thigh, followed by the subcutaneous tissue of the calf, skin of the thigh, and skin of the calf. These differences were each significant. In the patients with unilateral lymphedema, S_(sk) and S_(sc) in the thigh and calf were not different between the affected and unaffected legs. Conclusion It was feasible to assess the strains of the skin and subcutaneous tissue using free-hand RTE and standardization of the compression force using a phantom. We failed to demonstrate decreased strains of the skin and subcutaneous tissue in legs with stage II lymphedema compared with healthy legs.