Abstract:

Objective　To evaluate the application value of ultrasound gel pad in shear wave elastography (SWE) of rabbit testes. Methods　From September 2020 to April 2021, 30 healthy male rabbits were included, aged 5 to 6 months, with a body weight of (2.52±0.18) kg. Their 60 testes were studied by SWE using ultrasound gel pad and thick ultrasound transmission gel respectively in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University. Ten consecutive measurements of shear wave velocity (SWV) were obtained in the central zone of the largest standard transverse axis view of testicular parenchyma, and the mean, standard deviation, and interquartile range/median were calculated and recorded. Paired sample t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's chi-squared test, and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were applied. Results　In the ultrasound gel pad group, the mean and standard deviation of the ten SWV measurements were significantly lower than those in the thick ultrasound transmission gel group [(1.67±0.16) m/s vs. (2.46±0.20) m/s, (0.09±0.03) m/s vs. (0.22±0.08) m/s], with statistically significant differences (t=26.617 and 12.965, both P<0.001). With the interquartile range/median ≤10% as the standard, the number of cases being in conformity the standard in the ultrasound gel pad group was significantly larger than that in the thick ultrasound transmission gel group [80.0% (48/60) vs. 23.3% (14/60)], with a statistically significant difference (χ²=38.576, P<0.001). Two ultrasound physicians obtained three consecutive SWV measurements in the central zone of the largest standard transverse axis view of normal testicular parenchyma using an ultrasound gel pad, demonstrating good consistency (ICC=0.823, 95%CI 0.712-0.892, P<0.001). Conclusion　The utilization of ultrasound gel pad in SWE of normal testes yields a clear enhancement in image quality, leading to increased stability and the reproducibility of measured values.

Key words:

Shear wave elastography, Testes, Ultrasound gel pad, Animal experiment

摘要：

目的　探究导声垫在兔睾丸剪切波弹性成像（SWE）中的应用价值。方法　2020年9月至2021年4月期间，选取30只健康成年雄性新西兰大白兔，兔龄5～6个月，体质量（2.52±0.18）kg，在广州医科大学附属第二医院分别使用导声垫和厚耦合剂对60个睾丸进行SWE，定量连续测量睾丸最大横切面中心区域剪切波速度（SWV）值10次，计算其均数、标准差及四分位数间距/中位数并记录。统计学方法采用t检验、单因素方差分析、Pearson卡方检验及组内相关系数（ICC）。结果　使用导声垫连续重复测量正常兔睾丸最大横切面中心区域SWV值10次，其均值、标准差均小于厚耦合剂组［（1.67±0.16）m/s比（2.46±0.20）m/s、（0.09±0.03）m/s比（0.22±0.08）m/s］，差异均有统计学意义（t=26.617、12.965，均P<0.001）。以四分位数间距/中位数≤10%为标准，导声垫组符合该标准的比例高于厚耦合剂组［80.0%（48/60）比23.3%（14/60）］，差异有统计学意义（χ²=38.576，P<0.001）。分别使用导声垫连续重复测量正常兔睾丸最大横切面中心区域SWV值3次，其一致性较好（ICC=0.823，95%置信区间 0.712～0.892，P<0.001）。结论　使用导声垫辅助进行正常睾丸SWE可以有效提高图像质量，测值更稳定，且具有较好的可重复性。

关键词:

剪切波弹性成像, 睾丸, 导声垫, 动物实验