Liver stiffness measurement by transient elastography in clinical practice

Area of Science:

• Hepatology
• Medical Imaging
• Diagnostic Tools

Background:

• Liver stiffness (LS) assessment is crucial for diagnosing liver diseases.
• Transient elastography (TE) offers a non-invasive method for evaluating liver stiffness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy and results of transient elastography for liver stiffness assessment across diverse patient groups.
• To determine the feasibility of obtaining valid LS measurements and compare TE results with liver biopsy in specific cohorts.

Main Methods:

• Transient elastography was performed on 986 patients.
• Evaluated were the success rate of valid measurements, LS values in healthy individuals, inactive HBsAg carriers, cirrhotic patients, and correlation with liver biopsy in HCV patients.

Main Results:

• Valid LS measurements were obtained in 94.6% of patients; male gender, younger age, and lower BMI predicted successful measurements.
• Mean LS values varied significantly: 5.2 kPa (normal), 5.8 kPa (HBsAg carriers), and 37.2 kPa (cirrhosis).
• In HCV patients, higher LS values correlated with advanced fibrosis (METAVIR F≥2 and F≥3) compared to lower fibrosis stages (p<0.0001).

Conclusions:

• Transient elastography is a highly successful method for assessing liver stiffness in the majority of patients.
• TE is effective in excluding significant liver fibrosis and predicting liver cirrhosis.
• Compared to liver biopsy, TE can reliably differentiate significant fibrosis from no or mild fibrosis.