Shear Wave Elasticity Differentiation Between Low‐ and High‐Grade Bladder Urothelial Carcinoma and Correlation With Collagen Fiber Content

Objectives To investigate the differences in the shear wave elasticity and collagen fiber content between low‐ and high‐grade bladder urothelial carcinoma and study the relationship between elasticity and the content of collagen fiber. Methods A total of 66 patients with bladder tumors who were referred to our hospital underwent transrectal or transvaginal conventional ultrasound and shear wave elasticity examinations. After bladder urothelial carcinoma was pathologically confirmed, 34 cases of low‐grade and 32 cases of high‐grade carcinoma were enrolled. The specimens underwent Masson trichrome staining, and image‐processing software was used to quantitatively analyze the area of collagen fiber. Results Based on conventional ultrasound, the low‐ and high‐grade groups were similar in the number, location, interior echoes, basal portion, size, and vascularity ( P > .05); nevertheless, the difference in the surface condition (smooth or rough) was statistically significant ( P = .03). The high‐grade group had significantly higher maximum and mean elasticity than the low‐grade group ( P < .01). The percentage of the collagen fiber area in the high‐grade group was significantly higher than that in the low‐grade group (mean ± SD, 11.45% ± 1.66% versus 7.64% ± 0.70%; P = .01). There was a positive correlation between maximum elasticity, mean elasticity, and the percentage of the collagen fiber area ( r = 0.75 and 0.52, respectively; P < .01). Conclusions Shear wave elasticity can be used to differentiate between low‐ and high‐grade bladder urothelial carcinoma. The elasticity of lesions has a close correlation with the content of collagen fiber, which may have an important impact on tissue stiffness and the development of bladder cancer.