Endoscopic ultrasound-guided strain and shear wave elastography for pancreatic and liver diseases

Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided elastography is an advanced imaging technique designed to improve assessment of lesion characteristics and disease diagnosis. It allows real-time assessment of tissue stiffness and is currently available in the form of strain elastography (SE) and shear wave elastography (SWE). While EUS-guided SE has high sensitivity for diagnosing malignant solid pancreatic lesions, its specificity remains modest. SWE is a novel technology currently available on the EUS platform. Promising data have been reported on the utility of EUS-guided SWE in various diseases of the pancreas and liver. This review aims to discuss the applications of EUS-guided SE and SWE in pancreatic and liver diseases.