The usefulness of transabdominal ultrasound elastography in gastritis in children.

BACKGROUND

can colonize the submucosal layer as well as the mucosa in the stomach. Inflammation and erosions cause both mucosal and submucosal thickening in patients with gastritis. Elastography is a method for measuring the elasticity and hardness of tissues by visualization of their response to the applied force. Hard tissues respond to applied compression differently compared to soft tissues. Hard tissues displace as a whole without deforming as opposed to soft tissues. In this study, we investigated the diagnostic performance of transabdominal ultrasound elastography in detecting gastritis in children.

METHODS

Nineteen children (group 1) with gastritis, 33 children (group 2) with (-) gastritis and 37 healthy children (group 3) were included the study. These groups were compared in terms of their strain index values. Ultrasonographic examinations were performed with a single transducer at 1.8-6.2 MHz frequency range.

RESULTS

Both group 1 and 2 had significantly higher strain index values compared to the control group (2.7, 2.2 and 1.4 respectively). Additionally, the mean strain index value was significantly higher in group 1 compared to group 2.

CONCLUSION

Transabdominal ultrasound elastography has diagnostic value in differentiating (+) gastritis from (-) gastritis as well as in the diagnosis of gastritis in children.