Lipedema and shear-wave elastography: under-specification of ROI acquisition limits anatomical interpretation

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

We read with interest the recent study relating shear-wave elastography (SWE) measurements to pain in women with lipedema [1]. Although the clinical aim is relevant, we believe that the principal methodological weakness lies in the under-specification of the central imaging variable. The manuscript reports the ultrasound system, anatomical acquisition sites, patient positioning, and the use of three consecutive measurements, but does not report region of interest (ROI) depth, ROI dimensions, or whether the superficial fascia (SF) was explicitly excluded during acquisition. Under these conditions, the anatomical substrate of the measured signal cannot be determined.

Yaman A, Mansız-Kaplan B. Assessment of the elasticity of lipedematous tissue and the examination of the relationship between pain and fibrosis in lipedema. Int J Obes. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-026-02049-8.