Application of Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse Imaging for Diagnosis of Female Bladder Neck Obstruction

Objectives To determine the application value of combined transperineal sonography and Virtual Touch tissue quantification (Siemens Medical Solutions, Mountain View, CA) on acoustic radiation force impulse imaging as a scanning method for diagnosis of female bladder neck obstruction. Methods Transperineal sonography and Virtual Touch tissue quantification were combined to depict the bladder neck and observe its sonographic characteristics in 36 patients with female bladder neck obstruction and 30 healthy adults in a case‐control study. We measured the thickness and shear wave velocity (SWV) of the bladder neck's anterior and posterior lips. Results There was a statistically significant difference in the thickness and SWV of the bladder neck between the healthy women and those with bladder neck obstruction, whose SWV was higher ( P < .05). For the anterior lip, an SWV of 2.11 m/s was the best cutoff point for differentiating bladder neck obstruction from a normal bladder neck; for the posterior lip, an SWV of 2.06 m/s was the best cutoff point. The mean thicknesses of the anterior and posterior lips ± SD were 0.66 ± 0.05 and 0.68 ± 0.05 cm in the group with bladder neck obstruction versus 0.45 ± 0.07 and 0.52 ± 0.09 cm in the normal group. There was a significant difference between them ( P < .05). Conclusions The bladder neck's anatomic structure can be observed visually by perineal sonography. Virtual Touch tissue quantification on acoustic radiation force impulse imaging can quantitatively reflect the bladder neck stiffness and change in texture. It could provide a quantitative indicator for clinical diagnosis of female bladder neck obstruction and etiology research and display important clinical values.