Diagnostic Value of Sound Speed Correction Endoscopic Ultrasound Compared With Other Endoscopic Ultrasound-Assisted Imaging Techniques in Solid Pancreatic Lesions - Article 1

Sep 22, 2026

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Sound speed correction endoscopic ultrasound (SSC-EUS) is evaluated as a novel imaging technique for diagnosing solid pancreatic lesions. A prospective single-blind randomized trial enrolled 240 patients confirmed by CT/MRI, assigning equal groups to B-EUS, EG-EUS, CE-EUS, and SSC-EUS with ROC-based diagnostic thresholds. SSC-EUS showed optimal performance at 1,563 m/s with sensitivity 82.8% and specificity 78.9%. CE-EUS achieved the highest overall efficacy and subgroup results supported lesion-specific advantages, while EG-EUS strain measures showed limited accuracy.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

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Introduction

Methods

Results

Discussion

ARTICLE 1 INTRODUCTION: Sound speed correction endoscopic ultrasound (SSC-EUS) is a novel imaging technique with limited previous validation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of SSC-EUS for solid pancreatic lesions (SPL) and compare it with B-mode endoscopic ultrasound (B-EUS), elastographyendoscopic ultrasound (EG-EUS), and contrast-enhanced endoscopic ultrasound (CE-EUS) . METHODS: A prospective, single-blind, randomized trial included 240 patients with computed tomography/ magnetic resonance imaging-confirmed SPL (solid portion >80% of lesion volume) . Participants were equally divided into 4 groups (B-EUS, EG-EUS, CE-EUS, and SSC-EUS) . Diagnostic thresholds were determined through receiver operating characteristic curves. Subgroup analyses assessed the impact of lesion location (head/body/tail), tumor size (£3 vs >3 cm), and cancer stage (I/II vs III/IV) . Statistical analysis used SPSS 23.0 and GraphPad Prism 8. RESULTS: Among 240 patients, 138 (57.5%) had malignant lesions. SSC-EUS achieved optimal diagnostic performance at a cutoff sound speed of 1,563 m/s (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve 5 0.822, sensitivity 5 82.8%, specificity 5 78.9%, accuracy 5 81.7%) . CE-EUS demonstrated the highest overall efficacy (sensitivity 5 90.3%, specificity 5 82.8%, accuracy 5 86.7%), followed by SSC-EUS and EG-EUS, both outperforming B-EUS (accuracy 5 70.0%) . Subgroup analysis revealed superior sensitivity for pancreatic body lesions (SSC-EUS: 87.5%; CEEUS: 90.0%), tumors >3 cm (SSC-EUS: 84.2%; CE-EUS: 90.0%), and stage III/IV cancers (SSCEUS: 81.8%; CE-EUS: 90.9%) . EG-EUS strain ratio (cutoff 5 4.44) showed limited accuracy (61.7%), whereas elastic strain value A (cutoff 5 0.065%) exhibited moderate utility (accuracy 5 75.0%) . DISCUSSION: CE-EUS remains the most effective imaging modality for SPL diagnosis. SSC-EUS demonstrates comparable accuracy with EG-EUS and is particularly advantageous for larger tumors (>3 cm) and advanced-stage malignancies. EG-EUS strain ratio lacks clinical robustness, whereas elastic strain value A warrants further validation. Tailoring imaging method selection to lesion characteristics (location, size, and stage) may optimize diagnostic outcomes. KEYWORDS: endoscopic ultrasound; assisted imaging; pancreatic cancer; sound speed correction; diagnostic efficacy ABBREVIATIONS: AUROC, area under the receiver operator characteristic curve; B-EUS, B-mode endoscopic ultrasound; CE-EUS, contrast-enhanced endoscopic ultrasound; CP, chronic pancreatitis; CT, computer tomography; EG-EUS, elastography endoscopic ultrasound; EUS, endoscopic ultrasound; EUS-FNA, endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration; NET, neuroendocrine tumor; NPV, negative predictive value; PC, pancreatic cancer; PDAC, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma; PPV, positive predictive value; ROC, Diagnostic Value of Sound Speed Correction Endoscopic Ultrasound Compared With Other Endoscopic Ultrasound-Assisted Imaging Techniques in Solid Pancreatic Lesions Dun-Wei Yao, PhD1 ,3 , *, Yi-Han Lu, MM 1 ,3 , *, Hai-Xing Jiang, PhD2 , Min-Zhen Qin, PhD1 ,3 and Shan-Yu Qin, PhD2 ENDOSCOPY 1Department of Gastroenterology, Baise People’s Hospital, Baise City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China; 2Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, China; 3Affiliated Southwest Hospital of Youjiang Medical University for Nationalities, Baise City, Guangxi, China. Correspondence: Min-Zhen Qin, PhD. E-mail: [qinminzhen@126.com. Shan-Yu Qin](qinminzhen@126.com. Shan-Yu Qin), PhD. E-mail: [qinshanyu@gxmu.edu.cn](qinshanyu@gxmu.edu.cn). *Dun-Wei Yao and Yi-Han Lu contributed equally to this article. Received May 21, 2025; accepted October 9, 2025; published online November 10, 2025 © 2025 The Author(s) . Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of The American College of Gastroenterology American College

FAQs

What is SSC-EUS and what diagnostic problem does it target?

SSC-EUS is a sound speed correction endoscopic ultrasound technique proposed for improved imaging. It targets the diagnostic evaluation of solid pancreatic lesions.

How was the diagnostic performance of SSC-EUS compared in the study?

A prospective single-blind randomized trial assigned 240 patients to four imaging groups: B-EUS, EG-EUS, CE-EUS, and SSC-EUS. Diagnostic thresholds were set using receiver operating characteristic curves.

Which imaging modality showed the best overall diagnostic efficacy?

CE-EUS demonstrated the highest overall efficacy, with SSC-EUS and EG-EUS performing next, while B-EUS showed lower accuracy.

Sep 22, 2026

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