Ultrasound Shear Wave Elastography in Cardiology

Annette Caenen; Stéphanie Bézy; Mathieu Pernot; Kathryn R Nightingale; Hendrik J Vos; Jens-Uwe Voigt; Patrick Segers; Jan D'hooge

doi:10.1016/j.jcmg.2023.12.007

Ultrasound Shear Wave Elastography in Cardiology

JACC Cardiovasc Imaging. 2024 Mar;17(3):314-329. doi: 10.1016/j.jcmg.2023.12.007.

Authors

Annette Caenen¹, Stéphanie Bézy², Mathieu Pernot³, Kathryn R Nightingale⁴, Hendrik J Vos⁵, Jens-Uwe Voigt⁶, Patrick Segers⁷, Jan D'hooge²

Affiliations

¹ Institute for Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium; Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Cardiology, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
² Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
³ Physics for Medicine, INSERM, CNRS, ESPCI, PSL University, Paris, France.
⁴ Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
⁵ Department of Cardiology, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
⁶ Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁷ Institute for Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.

PMID: 38448131
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcmg.2023.12.007

Abstract

The advent of high-frame rate imaging in ultrasound allowed the development of shear wave elastography as a noninvasive alternative for myocardial stiffness assessment. It measures mechanical waves propagating along the cardiac wall with speeds that are related to stiffness. The use of cardiac shear wave elastography in clinical studies is increasing, but a proper understanding of the different factors that affect wave propagation is required to correctly interpret results because of the heart's thin-walled geometry and intricate material properties. The aims of this review are to give an overview of the general concepts in cardiac shear wave elastography and to discuss in depth the effects of age, hemodynamic loading, cardiac morphology, fiber architecture, contractility, viscoelasticity, and system-dependent factors on the measurements, with a focus on clinical application. It also describes how these factors should be considered during acquisition, analysis, and reporting to ensure an accurate, robust, and reproducible measurement of the shear wave.

Keywords: cardiac function; echocardiography; myocardial stiffness; review; shear wave elastography.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Cardiology*
Elasticity Imaging Techniques*
Humans
Myocardium
Predictive Value of Tests
Ultrasonography