Diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound shear wave elastography combined with superb microvascular imaging for breast tumors: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Shear wave elastography (SWE) is a new ultrasonic elastography technique for evaluating the hardness of living tissue by measuring the propagation velocity of shear wave in tissue, which is characterized by real-time, non-invasive and quantitative. The SWE technique can be used to diagnose the lesions of different tissues and organs, and the quantitative measurement of SWE is considered as more objective information about breast masses. Superb microvascular imaging (SMI) is a new noninvasive Doppler ultrasound imaging method, which can display blood flow information with high spatial resolution and high frame rate, while keeping the minimum low-speed blood flow components. Therefore, SMI can diagnose diseases closely related to angiogenesis at a relatively early stage. However, the results of these studies have been contradictory. The present meta-analysis aimed at determining the accuracy of SWE combined with SMI in the differential diagnosis between benign and malignant breast lesions. METHODS: We will search PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Chinese biomedical databases from their inceptions to the April 18, 2021, without language restrictions. Two authors will independently carry out searching literature records, scanning titles and abstracts, full texts, collecting data, and assessing risk of bias. Review Manager 5.2 and Stata14. 0 software will be used for data analysis. RESULTS: This systematic review will determine the accuracy of shear wave elastography combined with superb microvascular imaging in the differential diagnosis between benign and malignant breast tumors. CONCLUSION: Its findings will provide helpful evidence for the accuracy of shear wave elastography combined with superb microvascular imaging in the differential diagnosis between benign and malignant breast tumors. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: INPLASY202150075