{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,29]],"date-time":"2026-08-29T12:18:47Z","timestamp":1788005927861,"version":"build-2784847793"},"reference-count":22,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,26]],"date-time":"2026-08-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1787702400000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"funder":[{"name":"National Cancer Centre (NCC) Research Fund","award":["NCCRF-YR2016-JUI-PG1"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["NCCRF-YR2016-JUI-PG1"]}]},{"name":"the Singapore Cancer Society Cancer Research Fund 2016"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Ultrasound"],"abstract":"\n Aim:<\/jats:title>\n Shear wave elastography is commonly used to evaluate muscle stiffness and thickness. This study aimed to evaluate the stiffness and thickness of the sternocleidomastoid muscle in patients diagnosed with head and neck cancer undergoing neck dissection (removal of lymph nodes).<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Materials and methods:<\/jats:title>\n Ten subjects with head and neck cancer were recruited. Two radiographers performed ultrasound and shear wave elastography scans to evaluate muscle stiffness and thickness in the sternocleidomastoid muscle pre-surgery, at 6\u2009weeks, and at 6\u2009months post-surgery.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results:<\/jats:title>\n \n The cohort had a mean age of 56.8 (\u00b18.22) years, with equal numbers of males and females. Half had unilateral surgery (four left and one right), while the other half had bilateral surgery. One patient had the entire sternocleidomastoid muscle resected (participant HN2). Comparing all time points from pre-surgery to 6\u2009weeks and 6\u2009months, there was no significant change in sternocleidomastoid muscle thickness (pre-surgery to 6\u2009weeks: 0.11\u2009\u00b1\u20092.45\u2009cm;\n t<\/jats:italic>\n \u2009=\u20090.18,\n p<\/jats:italic>\n \u2009=\u20090.86; pre-surgery to 6\u2009months: 0.36\u2009\u00b1\u20092.08\u2009cm;\n t<\/jats:italic>\n \u2009=\u2009\u22120.64,\n p<\/jats:italic>\n \u2009=\u20090.53; 6\u2009weeks to 6\u2009months: 0.47\u2009\u00b1\u20091.53\u2009cm;\n t<\/jats:italic>\n \u2009=\u2009\u22121.15,\n p<\/jats:italic>\n \u2009=\u20090.26). From pre-surgery to 6\u2009weeks and 6\u2009months, there was no statistically significant change in shear wave elastography readings (pre-surgery to 6\u2009weeks: 3.62\u2009\u00b1\u20097.45\u2009kPa;\n t<\/jats:italic>\n \u2009=\u2009\u22121.82,\n p<\/jats:italic>\n \u2009=\u20090.08; pre-surgery to 6\u2009months: 3.33\u2009\u00b1\u200911.2\u2009kPa;\n t<\/jats:italic>\n \u2009=\u20091.11,\n p<\/jats:italic>\n \u2009=\u20090.28). However, from 6\u2009weeks to 6\u2009months, the shear wave elastography values increased significantly by 6.95\u2009\u00b1\u20096.48\u2009kPa (\n t<\/jats:italic>\n \u2009=\u20094.01,\n p<\/jats:italic>\n \u2009<\u20090.001).\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusion:<\/jats:title>\n This preliminary exploratory study demonstrates the feasibility of longitudinal shear wave elastography assessment in this cohort and identifies an increase in sternocleidomastoid muscle stiffness between 6\u2009weeks and 6\u2009months, which warrants further investigation in larger, stratified studies with functional correlation.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1177\/1742271x261469653","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,27]],"date-time":"2026-08-27T05:48:06Z","timestamp":1787809686000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Novel evaluation of the sternocleidomastoid muscle of head and neck cancer patients using shear wave elastography: A preliminary exploratory pilot study"],"prefix":"10.1177","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5355-6016","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mei S. L.","family":"Lai","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, National Healthcare Group, Singapore"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3685-0122","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Chin C.","family":"Ooi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Radiography Department, Allied Health Division, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore"},{"name":"Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3886-8222","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ia C. C.","family":"Tan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Physiotherapy, Allied Health Division, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7806-6665","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Q. H. M.","family":"Leow","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Research, SingHealth Polyclinics, Singapore"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0338-8859","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Zhan H. S.","family":"Quek","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4172-2109","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mahalakshmi S.","family":"Rangabashyam","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Division of Surgery and Surgical Oncology, Singapore General Hospital and National Cancer Centre Singapore, Singapore"},{"name":"Singhealth Duke-NUS Head & Neck Centre, Singapore"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7951-6338","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Wen L. J.","family":"Lau","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Division of Surgery and Surgical Oncology, Singapore General Hospital and National Cancer Centre Singapore, Singapore"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8565-2926","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hiang K.","family":"Tan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Division of Surgery and Surgical Oncology, Singapore General Hospital and National Cancer Centre Singapore, Singapore"},{"name":"Singhealth Duke-NUS Head & Neck Centre, Singapore"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6060-3140","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Meng A.","family":"Png","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore"},{"name":"Department of Musculoskeletal Radiology, Division of Radiological Sciences, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,26]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_3_2_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3322\/caac.21660"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_3_2","unstructured":"Singapore cancer incidence and mortality 2003-2012 and selected cancer trends 1973-2012. 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Shear wave elastography\u2013a new quantitative assessment of post-irradiation neck fibrosis. Ultraschall Med Eur J Ultrasound 2015; 36(4): 348\u2013354.","journal-title":"Ultraschall Med Eur J Ultrasound"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_13_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Solomon C. Musculoskeletal ultrasound in inflammatory myopathies. In: Stoian DL (ed.) Ultrasound \u2013 the next step in clinical evaluation. 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