Noninvasive Assessment of Myocardial Stiffness by 2D-SWE Ultrasound Technique (Bidimensional Shear Wave Elastography) in Patients With Transthyretin Amyloidosis

The elastographic technique by ultrasound (USE), shear waves or shear wave elastography (SWE), quantitatively evaluates tissue stiffness by mapping the propagation of acoustic waves (shear waves), in a non-invasive manner and without emission of ionizing radiation. Their speeds are tracked by the ultrasound equipment after tissue deformation occurs, generated by pulses of acoustic radiation (ARFI) of the transducer itself. Assuming the correlation between tissue stiffness and increased acoustic propagation speeds, it is possible to describe mathematically the elasticity of tissues by measuring specific acoustic waves.