- Award ID(s):
- 2111234
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10415095
- Publisher / Repository:
- IOP Publishing
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Physics in Medicine & Biology
- Volume:
- 68
- Issue:
- 11
- ISSN:
- 0031-9155
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- Article No. 115001
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Methods In this study, a measurement system was attached to the ultrasound transducer to measure the applied load. Shear wave elastographic measurements were obtained from the left lobe of the thyroid at applied transducer forces between 2 and 10 N. A linear mixed‐effects model was constructed to quantify the association between the preload force and stiffness while accounting for correlations between repeated measurements within each participant. The preload force effect on elasticity was modeled by both linear and quadratic terms to account for a possible nonlinear association between these variables.
Results Nineteen healthy volunteers without known thyroid disease participated in the study. The participants had a mean age ± SD of 36 ± 8 years; 74% were female; 74% had a normal body mass index; and 95% were white non‐Hispanic/Latino. The estimated elastographic value at a 2‐N preload force was 16.7 kPa (95% confidence interval, 14.1–19.3 kPa), whereas the value at 10 N was 29.9 kPa (95% confidence interval, 24.9–34.9 kPa).
Conclusions The preload force was significantly and nonlinearly associated with SWE estimates of thyroid stiffness. Quantitative standardization of preload forces in the assessment of thyroid nodules using elastography is an integral factor for improving the accuracy of thyroid nodule evaluation.
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