What is US elastography?

US elastography (USE) is a recent technological advance that measures tissue elasticity or stiffness properties objectively and has been available in recent years on many state-of-the-art clinical US machines. USE is classified as diagnostic ultrasound and is safe, noninvasive and requires no costly consumables. Importantly, USE can be performed in real-time alongside conventional sonography, providing objective stiffness data that can be used to influence clinical decisions during US examinations. The clinical potential of USE relies on the same principles as clinical palpation, namely that processes such as malignancy and fibrosis alter elasticity.