Strain elastography is a useful tool in the evaluation of canine mammary neoplasms

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of strain elastography in the assessment of mammary neoplasms. Twenty-three dogs and a total number of 57 mammary neoplasms were included in this study. The elasticity score and strain ratio were measured using elastography recordings for comparison of histopathology results in mammary neoplasms. The mean elasticity scores were 1.66±0.15 for the benign neoplasms and 3.33±0.16 for the malignant tumors (P0.05). There was no significant difference found in distinguishing malignant mixed tumors and malignant epithelial tumors (P>0.05). The results of this study showed that, strain elastography is a highly valuable tool in differential diagnosis of mammary neoplasms in bitches.