RESUMO
Objective:To quantitatively evaluate the stiffness of pancreatic parenchyma and lesions by virtual touch tissue imaging and quantification (VTIQ) technique, and to investigate the potential usefulness of ultrasound shear wave elastography (SWE) in the prediction of clinically relevant post-operative pancreatic fistula (CR-POPF) after pancreatectomy.Methods:Patients who scheduled to receive pancreatectomy were prospectively enrolled in Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University from March 2021 to December 2021. VTIQ assessment was applied to patients within one week before the scheduled surgery to make quantitative SWE evaluation of target tissue. The SWV values of body part pancreatic parenchyma and lesions were measured and recorded. The palpation stiffness of pancreas was qualitatively evaluated during the operation by the surgeon.CR-POPF was diagnosed according to 2016 International Study Group of Pancreatic Fistula (ISGPF) standard.Grade B/C pancreatic fistula was defined as CR-POPF positive. Recognized peri-operative risk factors of CR-POPF were analyzed. ROC curve analysis was used to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of SWV value in predicting CR-POPF.Results:A total of 72 patients were finally enrolled in this study, including 47 (65.3%, 47/72) patients who received pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) and 25 (34.7%, 25/72) patients who underwent distal pancreatectomy. CR-POPF occurred in 22 (30.6%, 22/72) patients after pancreatectomy. The SWV value of body part pancreatic parenchyma was significant lower in CR-POPF positive group than in CR-POPF negative group ( P<0.001). There was no significant difference in lesion SWV value between CR-POPF positive and negative groups ( P=0.664). Besides, the palpation stiffness was no difference between the two groups ( P=0.689). Taking SWV value of pancreatic parenchyma >1.16 m/s as a cut-off value for predicting CR-POPF, the area under the ROC curve (AUROC) was 0.816 with 0.760 of sensitivity, 0.634 of specificity, 67.5% of positive predictive value and 72.5% of negative predictive value, respectively. Conclusions:The VTIQ method may improve the objectivity and accuracy of CR-POPF prediction via pre-operative, non-invasive and quantitative evaluation of pancreatic stiffness, which has potential value in clinical applications.