New type of ultrasound may soon be replacing biopsies - KCBD NewsChannel 11 Lubbock

4/2/10

New type of ultrasound may soon be replacing biopsies

Posted:

By Kristin Beerman | email

Edited by Jon Bush | email 

LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) – A new type of ultrasound may someday replace biopsies.  Biopsies are a good way to find cancer, but they do have risks. They're expensive and after the fact, they may seem unnecessary if there was no cancer there.

Now, there is something called elastography, which is a high-frequency ultrasound that uses sound waves to spot malignant tissue by its elasticity or how stiff the tissue is. It works because malignant tumors are stiffer than growths that are benign, radiologists could start using this within the next five years.

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