Virtual touch imaging quantification shear-wave elastography for breast lesions: the diagnostic value of qualitative and quantitative features

To investigate the value of the qualitative and quantitative features of Virtual Touch imaging quantification (VTIQ) shear-wave elastography in the characterisation of breast lesions. Conventional ultrasound (US) and VTIQ were performed in 148 solid breast lesions in 148 women. During qualitative analysis, patterns of VTIQ were categorised into two patterns, 1 and 2. During quantitative analysis, the mean SWV (SWVmean) and the maximum SWV (SWVmax) of each lesion were used. The sensitivity, specificity, and the areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (Az value) were calculated for conventional US, VTIQ, and combined conventional US and VTIQ. Malignant lesions were more likely to show VTIQ pattern 2 than the benign lesions (p