Final answer:
The correct answer is 3. Elastography is a modern medical imaging technology that assesses the stiffness of tissues like the liver, breast, prostate, and thyroid, and helps in distinguishing between benign and malignant lesions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The recent technological advancement used on tissues such as the liver, breast, prostate, and thyroid to assess the stiffness of tissue or to better assess lesions is elastography. This method is a type of ultrasonography that measures tissue stiffness in real-time, providing valuable diagnostic information.
Elastography is particularly useful as an adjunct to conventional ultrasound, enhancing the ability to differentiate between benign and malignant lesions. The technique leverages the principle that diseased tissues often exhibit altered elasticity compared to normal tissues. By applying mechanical stress and observing the tissue's response, elastography can visualize and quantify tissue stiffness, thus aiding in the detection and characterization of certain conditions.
As an imaging technique, it is less invasive and can be freely used in sensitive situations, similar to traditional ultrasonography. While ultrasonography has limitations such as operator dependency and the inability to penetrate bone and gas, elastography provides a complementary role by offering additional information regarding tissue mechanics.