Experience of Using Shear Wave Elastography Imaging in Evaluation of Undescended Testes in Children: Feasibility, Reproducibility, and Clinical Potential

We aimed to determine the difference in tissue stiffness, which might reflect histologic damage, by comparing the potential of the shear wave elastography (SWE) values of operated undescended testes (OUT) with those of undescended testes (UT) and normal testes. A total of 120 patients (235 testes) were enrolled in the current study. Quantitative SWE values were measured by manually drawing contours of the entire testis structure with a free region of interest. A group of 66 OUT were classified as group A. Operation age and the period passed over the operation time and SWE values were compared among the testes assigned to group A. The 50 testes having inguinal canal placement were classified as group B, and the 119 testes whose sonography findings were normal were classified as group C. These 3 groups were compared in terms of the SWE values and volume. The SWE values of group A were significantly higher than those of groups B and C (P < 0.001). The SWE values of group B were significantly higher than those of group C (P < 0.001). The SWE values of OUT were significantly higher than those of the contralateral normal testes and UT (P < 0.001). There were no significant differences among operation age and period passed over the operation time and SWE values in the OUT (P > 0.05). There was no significant correlation between SWE values and testes' volume (P > 0.05). The SWE technique can be used effectively as a new parameter to assess stiffness of the OUT and UT to predict interstitial fibrosis and the severity of histologic damage.