Ultrasound Elastography in Clinical Diagnostics and in Scientific Research on Muscles

Ultrasound elastography is a revolutionary medical imaging technique, enabling a quantitative and qualitative evaluation of tissue stiffness. This paper presents, based on published evidence, a wide range of possibilities for this method in clinical trials and scientific research. The use of dynamic elastography avoids the undesired influence of force applied to the tissue by the elastograph probe on the information content of the obtained image. In clinical practice, elastography is used to identify and examine the pathological condition of soft tissues (including cancer lesions and tendonitis) and to diagnose neuromuscular diseases. It is also used in scientific investigations as a non-invasive method to study the structure of skeletal muscle, including muscle thickness, fiber length and pennation angle using standard ultrasonography mode; it is also possible to obtain information about physical properties such as stiffness. Ultrasound elastography could also be a useful tool for physiotherapists monitoring the rehabilitation process. Based on the results of these studies, advances in elastographic imaging technology, and progress in biomedical diagnostic methods, elastography is expected to become a common method used in clinical diagnostics and scientific research.