ANALYSIS OF THE CORRELATIONAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE RESULTS OF ULTRASOUND ELASTOGRAPHY AND THE VALUES OF THE MEASURED DIFFUSION COEFFICIENT IN ASSESSING UTERINE AND ADNEXAL STRUCTURES IN REPRODUCTIVE AGE WOMEN

Abstract

The purpose of the study. To study the correlational relationship between the results obtained by examining the uterus and ovaries in healthy women of reproductive age using shear wave ultrasound elastography with elastometry and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and assessment of the measured diffusion coefficient (MDC) of diffusion-weighted images (DWI). Materials and methods. The study group consisted of 45 healthy women of reproductive age (the average age was 32.9±3.1 years). All of them underwent ultrasound examination with the technology of two-dimensional shear wave elastography with elastometry (Aixplorer, Supersonic Imagine, France) according to the method developed and implemented by us. The MRI of uterine and ovarian structures was performed using the DWI protocol (Excelart Vantage Atlas magnetic resonance tomograph, Toshiba, Japan, 1.5 T), the myometrium and the uterine mucosa in the body and cervix, ovaries were evaluated. In the automatic mode, the MDC of unaltered structures in the uterine body and cervix and their appendages was calculated in the area of interest on ADC-maps. The degree of correlational relationship between the results of ultrasound elastography with elastometry and magnetic resonance tomography with an estimate of the measured diffusion coefficient was calculated. Results. Correlation analysis of the relationship between rigidity and the MDC of uterine and adnexal structures showed a direct inverse relationship between these values and a high degree of connection by Cheddock scale (p = 0.000000). At this, lesser MDC values (mm2 /s) of similar structures of the organs under study corresponded to large quantitative values of the Young's elasticity modulus (kPa) of all uterine and ovarian structures. Conclusion. The obtained data make it possible to optimize the diagnostic algorithm and to supplement the standard protocols for ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging studies of gynecological organs using two-dimensional shear wave elastography with elastometry and magnetic resonance tomography with an assessment of the measured diffusion coefficient of diffusion-weighted images.