Liver reserve function assessment by acoustic radiation force impulse imaging

Area of Science:

• Hepatology
• Medical Imaging
• Diagnostic Techniques

Background:

• Liver reserve function is crucial for managing patients with liver tumors.
• Accurate assessment of liver function aids in treatment planning and prognosis.
• Non-invasive imaging techniques are sought to complement traditional liver function tests.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the diagnostic utility of acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) imaging for assessing liver reserve function in patients with liver tumors.
• To correlate ARFI-derived liver stiffness (LS) measurements with established indicators of liver function, including Indocyanine Green (ICG) retention and Child-Pugh (CP) scores.

Main Methods:

• Seventy-six patients with liver tumors underwent ARFI imaging for liver stiffness (LS) measurement.
• Serum biochemical markers (ALT, AST, ALB, T-Bil), ICG retention (ICG-K, ICG-R15), and CP scores were assessed.
• Correlations between LS, ICG parameters, and CP scores were analyzed using Pearson/Spearman coefficients.
• Receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis evaluated the accuracy of ARFI imaging in assessing liver reserve function.

Main Results:

• Liver stiffness (LS) positively correlated with ICG-R15 and CP scores, and negatively with ICG-K.
• LS values increased significantly with higher ICG-R15 levels and more advanced CP classes (A < B < C).
• ROC analysis indicated that an LS value of 2.34 m/s achieved 69.2% sensitivity and 92.1% specificity for assessing liver reserve function.

Conclusions:

• Acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) imaging is a valuable tool for assessing liver reserve function in patients with liver tumors.
• ARFI imaging provides a non-invasive and accurate method for evaluating liver function, complementing existing clinical assessments.