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Updated: Apr 27, 2026
Author Spotlight: Advancing Hepatic Fibrosis Diagnosis Using Magnetic Resonance Elastography and AI
Published on: July 21, 2023
Hepatic fibrosis: prospective comparison of MR elastography and US shear-wave elastography for evaluation
Jeong Hee Yoon1, Jeong Min Lee, Ijin Joo
1From the Departments of Radiology (J.H.Y., J.M.L., I.J., E.S.L., J.Y.S., S.K.J., J.K.H., B.I.C.) and Pathology (K.B.L.), Seoul National University Hospital, 101 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul 110-744, Korea; and Institute of Radiation Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea (J.M.L., J.K.H., B.I.C.).
Purpose:
To compare magnetic resonance (MR) elastography and ultrasonographic shear-wave elastography ( SWE shear-wave elastography ) for the staging of hepatic fibrosis ( HF hepatic fibrosis ) in the same individuals.
Materials And Methods:
This prospective study was approved by the institutional review board, and informed consent was obtained from all patients. The technical success of and reliable liver stiffness ( LS liver stiffness ) measurement rates at MR elastography and SWE shear-wave elastography were compared in 129 patients who underwent both examinations. For mutual validation, LS liver stiffness values measured at both examinations were correlated by using Pearson correlation. The diagnostic performance of the two techniques for the assessment of substantial HF hepatic fibrosis (stage ≥ F2) was compared by using nonparametric receiver operating characteristic analysis.
Results:
The technical success rates of MR elastography and SWE shear-wave elastography were 95.35% (123 of 129) and 97.67% (126 of 129), respectively (P = .51). MR elastography provided significantly more reliable LS liver stiffness measurements than did SWE shear-wave elastography (95.35% [123 of 129] vs 75.2% [97 of 129], P < .001). The two examinations showed moderate correlation (r = 0.724). In patients with HF hepatic fibrosis stages of F3 or lower, the two examinations showed moderate-to-strong correlation (r = 0.683 in normal livers, 0.754 in livers with stage F0 or F1 HF hepatic fibrosis , and 0.90 in livers with stage F2 or F3 HF hepatic fibrosis ; P < .001); however, they did not show significant correlation for stage F4 HF hepatic fibrosis (r = 0.30, P = .31). MR elastography and SWE shear-wave elastography showed similar diagnostic capability in depicting HF hepatic fibrosis of stage F2 or greater (P = .98) when LS liver stiffness measurements were reliably performed.
Conclusion:
MR elastography and SWE shear-wave elastography showed moderate correlation and similar diagnostic performance in the diagnosis of HF hepatic fibrosis of stage F2 or greater; however, MR elastography yielded more reliable LS liver stiffness measurements than did SWE shear-wave elastography .
