Assessment of interstitial lung disease using lung ultrasound surface wave elastogrqphy

Ultrasonography is not widely used in clinic for lung assessment because ultrasound cannot image deep lung tissue. We have developed a noninvasive technique termed lung ultrasound surface wave elastography (LUSWE) for measuring superficial lung tissue elastic properties. The purpose of this abstract is to demonstrate the clinical use of LUSWE for assessing patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD). ILD consists of multiple chronic lung disorders but, in general, the lung parenchyma of patients with ILD is fibrotic. Reduction in volume and stiffening leads to altered physiology and respiratory symptoms, especially dyspnea, which can eventually progress to respiratory failure. LUSWE may be useful for assessing ILD because patients with ILD have typical fibrotic scars in the peripheral and subpleural regions of the lung.