Carolina M Botar-Jid1, Rodica Cosgarea2, Sorana D Bolboacă3, Simona C Şenilă2, Lavinia M Lenghel1, Liliana Rogojan4, Sorin M Dudea1. 1. 1 Department of Radiology, Iuliu Haţieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. 2. 2 Department of Dermatology, Iuliu Haţieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. 3. 3 Department of Medical Informatics and Biostatistics, Iuliu Haţieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Louis Pasteur St, no. 6, 400349 Cluj-Napoca, Romania. 4. 4 Department of Pathology, Emergency County Hospital Cluj-Napoca, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of very-high-frequency ultrasound as tool for assessment of skin melanoma by investigation of the correlation between the ultrasound measurement of the thickness of a melanoma and the histopathologically measured Breslow index. The secondary objective was to assess the potential role of real-time elastography in the preoperative evaluation of skin melanoma. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The study included 42 cutaneous melanoma lesions in 39 adult subjects examined in the division of ultrasound of a department of radiology between September 2011 and January 2015. Gray-scale sonographic features at 40 MHz (thickness, echogenicity, contour) and real-time strain elastographic (qualitative and semiquantitative, strain ratio) characteristics were evaluated and compared with the pathologic results. RESULTS: The melanoma lesions had a homogeneous hypoechoic appearance with a regular contour and stiff or medium consistency. The mean difference between Breslow index and ultrasound thickness was -0.05 mm (95% CI, -0.24 to 0.13 mm), sustaining the absence of significant differences between these two measurements. A strong relation was identified between real-time elastographic appearance and strain ratio for the relations between lesion and hypodermis and between lesion and neighboring dermis (p < 0.002) or hypodermis. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that very-high-frequency ultrasound and real-time elastography can be useful examinations for comprehensive preoperative evaluation of cutaneous melanoma.
OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of very-high-frequency ultrasound as tool for assessment of skin melanoma by investigation of the correlation between the ultrasound measurement of the thickness of a melanoma and the histopathologically measured Breslow index. The secondary objective was to assess the potential role of real-time elastography in the preoperative evaluation of skin melanoma. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The study included 42 cutaneous melanoma lesions in 39 adult subjects examined in the division of ultrasound of a department of radiology between September 2011 and January 2015. Gray-scale sonographic features at 40 MHz (thickness, echogenicity, contour) and real-time strain elastographic (qualitative and semiquantitative, strain ratio) characteristics were evaluated and compared with the pathologic results. RESULTS: The melanoma lesions had a homogeneous hypoechoic appearance with a regular contour and stiff or medium consistency. The mean difference between Breslow index and ultrasound thickness was -0.05 mm (95% CI, -0.24 to 0.13 mm), sustaining the absence of significant differences between these two measurements. A strong relation was identified between real-time elastographic appearance and strain ratio for the relations between lesion and hypodermis and between lesion and neighboring dermis (p < 0.002) or hypodermis. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that very-high-frequency ultrasound and real-time elastography can be useful examinations for comprehensive preoperative evaluation of cutaneous melanoma.