Two-Dimensional Shear Wave Elastography versus Transient Elastography: A Non-Invasive Comparison for the Assessment of Liver Fibrosis in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C
Rosanna Villani,
Francesco Cavallone,
Antonino Davide Romano,
Francesco Bellanti,
Gaetano Serviddio
Affiliations
Rosanna Villani
C.U.R.E. (University Centre for Liver Disease Research and Treatment), Liver Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, Viale Pinto 1, 71122 Foggia, Italy
Francesco Cavallone
C.U.R.E. (University Centre for Liver Disease Research and Treatment), Liver Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, Viale Pinto 1, 71122 Foggia, Italy
Antonino Davide Romano
C.U.R.E. (University Centre for Liver Disease Research and Treatment), Liver Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, Viale Pinto 1, 71122 Foggia, Italy
Francesco Bellanti
C.U.R.E. (University Centre for Liver Disease Research and Treatment), Liver Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, Viale Pinto 1, 71122 Foggia, Italy
Gaetano Serviddio
C.U.R.E. (University Centre for Liver Disease Research and Treatment), Liver Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, Viale Pinto 1, 71122 Foggia, Italy
In recent years, several non-invasive methods have been developed for staging liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C. A 2D-Shear wave elastography (SWE) technique has been recently introduced on the EPIQ 7 US system (ElastQ), but its accuracy has not been validated in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. We enrolled 178 HCV patients to assess their liver fibrosis stage with ElastQ software using transient elastography as a reference standard. The best cut-off values to diagnose ≥ F2, ≥ F3, and F4 were 8.15, 10.31, and 12.65 KPa, respectively. Liver stiffness values had a positive correlation with transient elastography (r = 0.57; p < 0.001). The area under the receiver operating characteristics (AUROC) was 0.899 for ≥ F2 (moderate fibrosis), 0.900 for ≥ F3 (severe fibrosis), and 0.899 for cirrhosis. 2D-SWE has excellent accuracy in assessing liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C and an excellent correlation with transient elastography.
