Ultrasound Elastography in Evaluation of Peripheral Pulmonary Lesions.

Background: Differentiating benign from malignant peripheral pulmonary lesions (PPLs) remains a clinical challenge, especially in resource-limited settings. While computed tomography is the standard imaging modality, it involves radiation exposure and often lacks specificity. Methods: In this prospective observational study, 42 patients with peripheral pulmonary lesions underwent transthoracic SWE prior to histopathological evaluation. Elastography values were compared between benign and malignant lesions. Statistical analysis included ROC curve assessment, logistic regression, and correlation with histopathological and microbiological outcomes. Results: Of the 42 patients, 64.3% had malignant and 35.7% had benign lesions. The mean SWE value for malignant lesions was significantly higher (6.82 ± 2.27 kPa) than for benign lesions (3.72 ± 2.23 kPa; Conclusion: Transthoracic SWE is a non-invasive, radiation free and promising tool for evaluating PPLs, offering good diagnostic accuracy in distinguishing malignant from benign lesions. It holds particular promise in settings where access to advanced imaging or biopsy is limited, and may assist in triaging patients for early tissue diagnosis.