Department of Pediatric Radiology, University Children's Hospital Geneva, 6 rue Willy Donzé, CH 1211, Genéve 14, Suisse.
Pediatr Radiol. 2021 Sep;51(10):1873-1878. doi: 10.1007/s00247-021-05079-8. Epub 2021 May 13.
Acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) imaging is a noninvasive ultrasound elastography technique for evaluating tissue stiffness. The association of liver and spleen stiffness provides additional information in the assessment of portal hypertension. The technique and normal values of spleen stiffness by point shear wave elastography (p-SWE) in pediatrics have not been well documented.
Our aim is to describe the feasibility and normal ARFI elastography values in the spleen for healthy children and to compare measurements in two different probe positions (the axial and sagittal planes).
Spleen p-SWE using ARFI values were measured with a 6C1 probe in 102 healthy children (age range: 8 weeks to 17 years) divided into four age groups. An average of nine (standard deviation: two) spleen stiffness measurements were taken during free breathing in each plane (axial and sagittal). The impact of age and measurement plane in the spleen was analyzed using multivariate models.
There was no significant difference in spleen stiffness values taken at different ages, with an average of the medians of 2.43±0.31 m/s. There was no significant difference based on probe orientation: sagittal plane (median: 2.46±0.29 m/s) and axial plane (median: 2.43±0.32 m/s) with Student's t-test P=0.18. The mean depth of measurement varied between 2.3 cm and 3.7 cm, according to age.
Normal spleen stiffness values using ARFI imaging in children do not vary with age and correspond to a median of 2.43 m/s. No significant difference was found when using different probe positions.
声辐射力脉冲（ARFI）成像技术是一种用于评估组织硬度的无创超声弹性成像技术。肝脏和脾脏硬度的相关性为门静脉高压的评估提供了额外的信息。儿科中使用点剪切波弹性成像（p-SWE）测量脾脏硬度的技术和正常值尚未得到很好的记录。
本研究旨在描述健康儿童脾脏 ARFI 弹性成像的可行性和正常值，并比较两种不同探头位置（轴向和矢状面）的测量结果。
使用 6C1 探头在 102 名健康儿童（年龄范围：8 周至 17 岁）中进行脾脏 p-SWE，根据年龄分为四个组。在每个平面（轴向和矢状面）中，在自由呼吸期间平均进行了 9 次（标准差：2 次）脾脏硬度测量。使用多变量模型分析年龄和测量平面对脾脏的影响。
不同年龄组的脾脏硬度值无显著差异，中位数平均为 2.43±0.31 m/s。探头方位对脾脏硬度值没有显著影响：矢状面（中位数：2.46±0.29 m/s）和轴向面（中位数：2.43±0.32 m/s），Student's t 检验 P=0.18。根据年龄的不同，测量的平均深度在 2.3 cm 和 3.7 cm 之间变化。
儿童使用 ARFI 成像的正常脾脏硬度值不随年龄变化，中位数为 2.43 m/s。使用不同探头位置时，没有发现显著差异。
