Abstract
© 2020 The Authors The aim of this research was to investigate the use of shear wave elastography as a novel tool to quantify and visualize scar stiffness after a burn. Increased scar stiffness is indicative of pathologic scarring which is associated with persistent pain, chronic itch and restricted range of movement. Fifty-five participants with a total of 96 scars and 69 contralateral normal skin sites were evaluated. A unique protocol was developed to enable imaging of the raised and uneven burn scars. Intra-rater and inter-rater reliability was excellent (intra-class correlation coefficient > 0.97), and test–retest reliability was good (intra-class correlation coefficient > 0.85). Shear wave elastography was able to differentiate between normal skin, pathologic scars and non-pathologic scars, with preliminary cutoff values identified. Significant correlations were found between shear wave velocity and subjective clinical scar assessment (r = 0.66). Shear wave elastography was able to provide unique information associated with pathologic scarring and shows promise as a clinical assessment and research tool.
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
7-1-2020
ISSN
03015629
Volume
46
Issue
7
PubMed ID
32386847
Publication Title
Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology
Publisher
Elsevier
School
School of Medical and Health Sciences / Centre for Exercise and Sports Science Research
RAS ID
31559
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
First Page
1614
Last Page
1629
Comments
DeJong, H., Abbott, S., Zelesco, M., Spilsbury, K., Martin, L., Sanderson, R., ... & Wood, F. M. (2020). A Novel, Reliable Protocol to Objectively Assess Scar Stiffness Using Shear Wave Elastography. Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology, 46(7) 1614 - 1629. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2020.03.003