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Liver stiffness measurements in patients with HBV vs HCV chronic hepatitis: a comparative study

Ioan Sporea1, Roxana Sirli, Alexandra Deleanu

  • 1Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 300736 Timişoara, Romania. isporea@umft.ro

World Journal of Gastroenterology
|October 13, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Liver stiffness (LS) measurements in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections showed similar values for corresponding fibrosis stages. LS measurements were correlated with fibrosis severity in both HBV and HCV patients.

Area of Science:

  • Hepatology
  • Viral Hepatitis Research
  • Diagnostic Imaging

Background:

  • Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections are major causes of liver disease.
  • Accurate assessment of liver fibrosis is crucial for disease management and treatment decisions.
  • Liver stiffness (LS) measurement using transient elastography is a non-invasive method to evaluate liver fibrosis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare liver stiffness (LS) values in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection against those with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.
  • To evaluate the correlation between LS measurements and liver biopsy-assessed fibrosis stages (Metavir score) in both HBV and HCV patients.

Main Methods:

  • A study involving 140 patients with chronic HBV hepatitis and 317 patients with chronic HCV hepatitis.
  • Liver stiffness (LS) was measured using FibroScan®-Echosens®.
  • Liver biopsy was performed concurrently and fibrosis was staged using the Metavir score.

Main Results:

  • Mean LS values were similar between HBV and HCV patients for equivalent fibrosis stages (F1, F2, F3, F4).
  • A significant direct correlation between LS measurements and fibrosis severity was observed in both HBV (r=0.408) and HCV (r=0.578) patients.
  • The correlation between LS and fibrosis was statistically more significant in HCV patients compared to HBV patients (P=0.0271).

Conclusions:

  • Liver stiffness values are comparable between chronic HBV and HCV hepatitis patients at similar fibrosis stages.
  • Liver stiffness measurement is a reliable tool for assessing fibrosis severity in both chronic HBV and HCV infections.
  • The findings support the utility of LS measurement as a non-invasive biomarker for liver fibrosis in viral hepatitis.
Abstract

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