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Review
. 2020 Aug;24(4):367-374.
doi: 10.1055/s-0040-1709720. Epub 2020 Sep 29.

Quantitative Musculoskeletal Ultrasound

Salvatore Gitto  1 , Carmelo Messina  1   2 , Nicoló Vitale  3 , Domenico Albano  2   4 , Luca Maria Sconfienza  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Quantitative Musculoskeletal Ultrasound

Salvatore Gitto et al. Semin Musculoskelet Radiol. 2020 Aug.

Abstract

Ultrasound (US) imaging plays a crucial role in the assessment of musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders. Several quantitative tools are offered by US systems and add information to conventional US imaging. This article reviews the quantitative US imaging tools currently available in MSK radiology, specifically focusing on the evaluation of elasticity with shear-wave elastography, perfusion with contrast-enhanced US and noncontrast superb microvascular imaging, and bone and muscle mass with quantitative US methods. Some of them are well established and already of clinical value, such as elasticity and contrast-enhanced perfusion assessment in muscles and tendons. MSK radiologists should be aware of the potential of quantitative US tools and take advantage of their use in everyday practice, both for clinical and research purposes.

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Conflict of interest statement

Luca Maria Sconfienza reports nonfinancial support from Bracco, Esaote, Samsung, Abiogen, and personal fees from Fidia Pharma Group, outside the submitted work. Carmelo Messina reports nonfinancial support from Abiogen outside the submitted work. All the other authors have declared no conflicts of interest for this article.

MeSH terms