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Diagnostic performance of 2D shear wave elastography in predicting liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B and C: a histopathological correlation study

  • Hepatobiliary
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Abstract

Purpose

In this study, we investigated the diagnostic efficacy of 2D-Shear Wave Elastography (2D-SWE) in detecting stages of liver fibrosis and determining the disease-specific cut-off values in patients with chronic hepatitis B and C infection, using histopathological analysis as the reference method.

Method

Our study included 103 consecutive adult patients with chronic hepatitis B and C infection (CHB and CHC) who had liver biopsy within three months of elastography examination. A real-time 2D-SWE was performed using the LOGIQ E9 system (GE Medical Systems, Wisconsin, USA). The correlation between the liver stiffness measurements and the METAVIR scores was evaluated. The diagnostic performance of 2D-SWE was assessed, and cut-off values were set.

Results

We found a statistically significant positive correlation between elastography values and the degree of liver fibrosis (Spearman’s correlation coefficient = 0.76 and 0.83 for CHB and CHC; respectively) (p = 0.0001). The stiffness cut-off values were F ≥ 1: 5.92 kPa, F ≥ 2: 7.69 kPa, F ≥ 3: 8.97 kPa, F ≥ 4: 12.15 kPa in CHB; and F ≥ 1: 6.09 kPa, F ≥ 2: 7.81 kPa, F ≥ 3: 9.0 kPa, F ≥ 4: 12.47 kPa in CHC patients.

Conclusion

2D-SWE is reliable and accurate for the diagnosis of liver fibrosis. In selected patients, 2D-SWE may be useful in reducing the need for liver biopsy when staging fibrosis. Further studies in larger prospective series are needed to confirm these results and determine the most appropriate cut-off values for each stage of liver fibrosis.

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Acknowledgments

Authors thank to Fatma Nur Baran Aksakal, MD for her valuable contribution.

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Gazi University, 06500, Beşevler, Ankara, Turkey

    Mehmet Aksakal, Suna Ozhan Oktar & Halit Nahit Sendur

  2. Department of Pathology, Gazi University, 06500, Beşevler, Ankara, Turkey

    Güldal Esendaglı

  3. Department of Gastroenterology, Gazi University, 06500, Beşevler, Ankara, Turkey

    Seren Ozenirler & Mehmet Cindoruk

  4. Department of Infectious Diseases, Gazi University, 06500, Beşevler, Ankara, Turkey

    Kenan Hızel

Authors
  1. Mehmet Aksakal
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  4. Güldal Esendaglı
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by [MA], [SOO], and [HNS]. The first draft of the manuscript was written by [MA], and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mehmet Aksakal.

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Conflict of interest

The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.

Ethical approval

This study was performed in line with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Approval was granted by the Ethics Committee of Gazi University.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Additional informed consent was obtained from all individual participants for whom identifying information is included in this article.

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Aksakal, M., Oktar, S.O., Sendur, H.N. et al. Diagnostic performance of 2D shear wave elastography in predicting liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B and C: a histopathological correlation study. Abdom Radiol 46, 3238–3244 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-021-03019-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-021-03019-6

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