Evidence mapPaperPMID 39941232Full record

ReviewDiagnostics (Basel, Switzerland)2025

Shear Wave Elastography for Carotid Artery Stiffness: Ready for Prime Time?

Dimitrios Kavvadas, Vasileios Rafailidis, Sasan Partovi, Thomas Tegos, Zoi Kallia, Panagiotis Savvoulidis, Theodora Papamitsou, Panos Prassopoulos

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Dimitrios KavvadasDepartment of Clinical Radiology, AHEPA University Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece.ORCID 0000-0002-3325-2752
Vasileios RafailidisDepartment of Clinical Radiology, AHEPA University Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece.ORCID 0000-0002-0284-4106
Sasan PartoviInterventional Radiology, Cleveland Clinic Main Campus, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA.
Thomas Tegos1st Department of Neurology, AHEPA University Hospital, Medical School, Aristotle University, 54453 Thessaloniki, Greece.
Zoi Kallia1st Department of Neurology, AHEPA University Hospital, Medical School, Aristotle University, 54453 Thessaloniki, Greece.
Panagiotis SavvoulidisRoyal Brompton & Harefield Hospitals, Part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London SW3 6NP, UK.
Theodora PapamitsouHistology and Embryology Laboratory, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece.ORCID 0000-0002-0709-5407
Panos PrassopoulosDepartment of Clinical Radiology, AHEPA University Hospital, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Carotid artery stiffness is associated with aging and atherosclerotic disease, leading to cerebrovascular events. Shear Wave Elastography (SWE) is a novel ultrasound technique offering a direct, quantitative assessment of the arterial wall elasticity. The aim of this study is to validate the technical feasibility of SWE in measuring carotid stiffness (CS). A literature search was performed across the PubMed and Scopus databases, with keywords including "carotid stiffness", "Shear Wave Elastography", "atherosclerosis", and "vascular elasticity". The findings reveal the potential of SWE in quantifying carotid Intima-Media Complex (IMC) stiffness, with implications for the early diagnosis of vascular disease, aiding in clinical decision making and prognostic assessment. Based on the findings of the literature search, a small pilot study was conducted involving 10 participants, using the Philips EPIQ Elite system for the SWE measurements. The technical analysis revealed optimizing the region of interest (ROI) size, probe positioning, and cine-loop analysis as crucial factors for obtaining accurate results. The results of the literature review and small pilot study demonstrate the potential of SWE as a non-invasive method for assessing carotid stiffness. Certain technical adjustments, such as smaller ROIs and careful probe placement, improved the accuracy and repeatability of carotid SWE measurements. Further studies are needed to assess and standardize carotid SWE across larger patient populations.

Indexed as

atherosclerosiscarotid stiffnessshear wave elastographyultrasound

Identifiers

PMID39941232
PMCPMC11816888

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.