Applications of Ultrasound Elastography in Musculoskeletal Imaging: Technical Aspects and Review of the Literature

Background: Ultrasound (US) has been widely adopted as a user friendly, easily available imaging modality in the assessment of various musculoskeletal pathologies. Discussion: Recently, a new application of US, US elastography (USE) has emerged as a novel tool to evaluate the elasticity of tissues. This technique has been widely employed in the assessment of pathologies of the thyroid, breast, liver, prostate and pancreas. Conclusion: The aim of this review is to discuss the different USE techniques currently available and their applications in musculoskeletal imaging.