Sonoelastographic features of major salivary gland tumors and pathology correlation

AIM: To investigate the diagnostic efficiency of elastography in differentiation of malignant and benign tumors by evaluating salivary gland masses in means of their elastography score and strain ratio. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Between 2014 and 2015, in Celal Bayar University Hafsa Sultan Hospital Radiology Department, 7 malignant and 33 benign lesions of 38 patients, who had been diagnosed with lesions in their salivary gland through B- mode ultrasonography, have been evaluated by strain elastography and their strain ratio has been calculated. The results were compared with pathologic results. RESULTS: Strain rates was calculated as mean 2.09 ± 1.93 in benign group and mean 2.02 ± 1.59 in the malignant group. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups (p= 0,388). Elastography score was calculated as mean 0.74 ± 2.36 in the benign group and mean 2.28 ± 1.38 in the malignant group. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups (p= 0,352). If we accept strain rate 2.05; sensitivity is 75%, specificity is 70%. However, the area under the ROC curve is 0.73, which is not statistically significant (p = 0.16). CONCLUSION: Elastography is a supporting method for B-mode ultrasonography in the differentiation of benign and malignant salivary gland mass. However, the overlap is evident in benign and malignant masses. The study involves a small number of malignant lesions, so further studies are required with larger series. It should be considered to have tissues with similar stiffness under the reference tissue and the lesions in elastographic evaluation of the superficial mass. We have not met in our literature studies that it has been pointed the stiffness of the tissue located beneath the lesion, affects the elastography results. In this respect our study is a primary one.