Investigation of the potential of shear wave elastography for diagnosis and differential diagnosis of major salivary gland neoplasms

Objective : To investigate the stiffness indices of normal submandibular (SMG) and parotid (PG) salivary glands using two-dimensional (2D-SWE) and point (pSWE) shear wave elastography, and to assess the diagnostic capabilities of shear wave elastography in the differential diagnosis of major salivary gland (MSG) neoplasms. Material and methods : A retrospective analysis of medical data was performed in 51 volunteers with normal PG and SMG (Group 1) and 77 patients with tumors of the PG and SMG (Group 2). For 2D-SWE, minimum, median, and maximum values, SD (kPa) were analyzed. For pSWE, median stiffness, median shear modulus, and mean shear modulus (kPa) were evaluated. Results : Statistically significant differences in parenchymal stiffness of normal PG and SMG (p