Ultrasound Elastography in the Differentiation of Simple Cyst and Type I Hydatid Cyst of the Liver

Abstract

Hydatid cyst (HC) is a parasitic disease that is endemic particularly to the sheep-breeding regions of the world, our country included. Given their propensity to materialize most commonly in the liver, our study evaluates the value of ultrasound elastography in the differential diagnosis of simple cyst and type I HCs of the liver. The study involved a total of 73 cysts (22 simple cysts, 51 type I HCs) that were removed using the puncture aspiration injection reaspiration technique between 2016 and 2018. All measurements were made using a Siemens ACUSON S2000 (Siemens Healthcare, Erlangen, Germany) device with a 4-MHZ 4C1 convex probe, an acoustic radiation force impulse elastography procedure, and a Virtual Touch IQ option. The difference between the mean shearwave elastography (SWE) values of both groups was analyzed with an independent t test. Of the 70 patients involved in the study, 29 were female and 41 were male, with a mean +/- SD age of 38.85 +/- 17.62 years (range, 5-82 years). Upon the examination of the 22 simple cysts and the 51 HCs, the mean +/- SD SWE values were found to be 2.6 +/- 0.96 (0.96-4.25) and 2.8 +/- 1.69 (0.66-4.84), respectively. No statistically significant difference was identified between the SWE values of type I HCs and simple cysts (P > 0.005). Although HCs and simple cysts had similar radiological appearances, and a relative difference was noted in the differentiation of the elastographic measurements, this difference was not statistically significant. Accordingly, more comprehensive and various studies are needed.