Clinical applications of sonoelastography.

INTRODUCTION: This review provides an overview of the current and potential clinical applications of sonoelastography, and describes the central principles that provide clinical applications. Areas covered: The clinical use of sonoelastography that is reviewed includes liver fibrosis, breast mass evaluation, thyroid nodule evaluation, detection and quantification of head/neck lymphedema. Other topics discussed include application for tendens, prostate, and salivary gland. A systematic literature search was done using PubMed database and the results were grouped according to the clinical applications. Expert commentary: This review highlights the clinical application of sonoelastography for breast, thyroid, and lymph nodes as well as the evaluation of lymphedema.