{"paper_id":"b8f844f3-0445-4c8b-9413-42a1c25a67b1","body_text":"Abstract\nObjective\nTo perform a scoping review of the literature in which ultrasound elastography (UE) has been used in benign gynecology and identify avenues for its use in future research and clinical implementations.\nMethods\nA structured search of EMBASE, Medline and Cochrane databases was conducted (last search date April 15th, 2022). Eligible studies included adult participants with female pelvic anatomy. English language papers focusing on the utility of ultrasound elastography applied to benign gynecology were included. Narrative reviews, conference abstracts, and letters to the editor were excluded. Two independent reviewers screened titles and abstracts for inclusion, a third reviewer was consulted in cases of disagreement. Study quality was assessed by a checklist for study implementation and elastography technique. Extracted data included elastography technology, gynecologic application, opportunities for clinical implementation, and strengths and limitations.\nResults\nThe search returned 2026 studies. A total of 40 studies, published between 2013 and 2022, were retained for data extraction. Studies most frequently used shear wave elastography as the method of UE (n = 23), followed by strain elastography (n = 13) and acoustic radiation force impulse (n = 4). Most common clinical applications for UE were the diagnosis of adenomyosis and uterine fibroids (27.5%), assessment of pelvic floor muscle function (22.5%), and describing the elastic properties of polycystic ovaries (17.5%) and the uterine cervix (15.0%). Limitations of the technology were identified as the lack of published reference values for gynecologic organs and difficulties in assessing tissues deep to the transducer.\nConclusion\nFuture research is needed to validate the use of ultrasound elastography in gynecology under both normal and pathologic conditions.\nSimilar content being viewed by others\nData Availability\nStudy extraction data is available upon request.\nReferences\nBrandenburg JE, Eby SF, Song P, et al. Ultrasound Elastography: The new frontier in direct measurement of muscle stiffness. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2014;95(11):2207. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.APMR.2014.07.007.\nBamber J, Cosgrove D, Dietrich CF, et al. EFSUMB guidelines and recommendations on the clinical use of ultrasound elastographypart 1: Basic principles and technology. Ultraschall Med. 2013;34(2):169–84. https://doi.org/10.1055/S-0033-1335205/ID/JR213-39.\nSarvazyan A, Hall TJ, Urban MW, Fatemi M, Aglyamov SR, Garra BS. 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Clin Hemorheol Microcirc. 2015;59(3):235–43. https://doi.org/10.3233/CH-141842.\nAcknowledgements\nDr Hanan Alsalem reviewed the final manuscript as a clinical expert and surgeon sonologist.\nFunding\nThis work is supported by the Physician Services Incorporated Clinical Research Grant (Grant Number: 20–32).\nAuthor information\nAuthors and Affiliations\nCorresponding author\nEthics declarations\nThe study was exempt from research ethics board approval according to the government of Canadas Tri-council Policy Statement (TCPS 2) on human research ethics.\nConflict of interest\nThe authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.\nEthical approval\nEthical approval was not required for this case report. The patient gave written consent for publication.\nAdditional information\nPublisher's Note\nSpringer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.\nKey Message\nUltrasound elastography is advanced imaging technology that measures mechanical tissue properties. In this scoping review, we determine that it is a promising modality to assess gynecologic pathologies. Further research is needed to validate it as a diagnostic tool.\nSupplementary Information\nBelow is the link to the electronic supplementary material.\nRights and permissions\nSpringer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.\nAbout this article\nCite this article\nHorwood, G., Flaxman, T., McInnes, M. et al. Ultrasound Elastography in Benign Gynecology: A Scoping Review. Reprod. Sci. 31, 2508–2522 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43032-024-01535-6\nReceived:\nAccepted:\nPublished:\nVersion of record:\nIssue date:\nDOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43032-024-01535-6","source_license":"CC0","license_restricted":false}