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Abstract Details
Liver stiffness measurements by 2-dimensional shear wave elastography compared to histological and ultrasound parameters in primary biliary cholangitis
Scand J Gastroenterol. 2021 Aug 10;1-7.doi: 10.1080/00365521.2021.1928277.Online ahead of print.
Emanuel K Manesis1, Maria Schina1, Irene Vafiadis2, Ilias Gatos3, John Theotokas3, Pavlos Zoumpoulis3, Peter Drazinos3, John Ketikoglou1, Ioanna K Delladetsima4, Dina G Tiniakos56
Author information
1Liver Unit Euroclinic, Athens, Greece.
2Department of Internal Medicine, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUoA), Athens, Greece.
3Diagnostic Echotomography S.A., Attica, Greece.
4First Department of Pathology, NKUoA, Athens, Greece.
5Department of Pathology, Aretaieion Hospital, NKUoA, Athens, Greece.
6Faculty of Medical Sciences, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
Abstract
Background and aims: Liver stiffness measurements (LSMs) by 2-dimensional-shear-wave elastography (LSM2D-SWE) are now widely used in hepatology. However, relevant information for primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is scant. We compare LSM2D-SWE with liver biopsy (LB) in a cohort of PBC patients in Greece.
Methods: Data of 68 LBs from 53 PBC patients were retrospectively analyzed and fibrosis stage was compared to LSM2D-SWE. Forty-six patients (86.8%) were females and at the time of LBx median (IQR) age was 62.6 (53.2-72.1). Demographic, UDCA treatment, histological and B-mode ultrasound data were tested for their influence on LSM2D-SWE estimates.
Results: Liver fibrosis stages F0-F4 were found in 4, 19, 19, 16 and 10 cases, respectively. Across stages F0-F4, the LSM2D-SWE was 5.6 (5.1-6.1), 7.0 (5.8-7.7), 9.1 (7.3-11.5), 10.8 (9.9-12.2) and 14.5 (11.9-25.7) kPa, respectively, with highly significant difference (p<.001). The LSM2D-SWE differed also significantly between F0 vs. F1 (p=.027), F1 vs. F2 (p=.005) and F3 vs. F4 (p=.017). The discriminatory ability of LSM2D-SWE for mild, significant, severe fibrosis and cirrhosis was highly significant in all comparisons (p<.001), with AUC2D-SWE 95.3%, 87.4%, 85.3% and 95.3% and accuracy 89.7%, 85.3%, 80.9% and 86.8%, respectively. Among 21 parameters tested, significant predictors of LSM2D-SWE by multiple linear regression were fibrosis stage, portal inflammation and parenchymal heterogeneity. The portal inflammation grade accounted for 32.2% of LSM variation with adjusted R2 0.428.
Conclusions: In patients with PBC, LSM measurements by 2D-SWE can reliably discriminate between mild, significant, severe fibrosis and cirrhosis. Measurements are significantly affected by portal inflammation grade.