Children (May 2022)

Ultrasound Shear Wave Elastography, Shear Wave Dispersion and Attenuation Imaging of Pediatric Liver Disease with Histological Correlation

  • Ivan Cetinic,
  • Charlotte de Lange,
  • Yvonne Simrén,
  • Nils Ekvall,
  • Maja Östling,
  • Liselotte Stén,
  • Håkan Boström,
  • Kerstin Lagerstrand,
  • Hanna Hebelka

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/children9050692
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9, no. 5
p. 692

Abstract

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Aim: To evaluate the feasibility of multiple ultrasound markers for the non-invasive characterization of fibrosis, inflammation and steatosis in the liver in pediatric patients. Materials and methods: The quantitative ultrasound measures shear wave elastography (SWE), shear wave dispersion (SWD) and attenuation imaging (ATI) were compared and correlated with percutaneous liver biopsies and corresponding measures in a control cohort. Results: The median age of the 32 patients was 12.1 years (range 0.1–17.9), and that of the 15 controls was 11.8 years (range: 2.6–16.6). Results: There was a significant difference in SWE values between histologic grades of fibrosis (p = 0.003), with a positive correlation according to the grade (r = 0.7; p p = 0.009) but with a lack of correlation (r = 0.1; p = 0.67). Comparing inflammation grades 0–1 (median:13.6 m/s kHz [min; max; 8.4; 17.5]) versus grades 2–3 (16.3 m/s kHz [14.6; 24.2]) showed significant differences between the groups (p = 0.003). In the 30 individuals with a steatosis score of 0, ATI was measured in 23 cases with a median value of 0.56 dB/cm/MHz. Conclusion: Comprehensive ultrasound analysis was feasible to apply in children and has the potential to reflect the various components of liver affection non-invasively. Larger studies are necessary to conclude to what extent these image-based markers can classify the grade of fibrosis, inflammation and steatosis.

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