A Newly Developed Shear Wave Elastography Modality: With a Unique Reliability Index

Area of Science:

• Hepatology
• Medical Imaging
• Diagnostic Ultrasound

Background:

• Chronic liver disease diagnosis relies on accurate liver stiffness assessment.
• Ultrasound elastography offers non-invasive liver stiffness measurement.
• Ensuring the reliability of elastography measurements is crucial for clinical decision-making.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prospectively evaluate the utility of the percentage of net effective shear wave velocity (VsN) as a reliability index.
• To determine if VsN can predict the appropriateness of shear wave velocity (Vs) measurements in patients with chronic liver disease.

Main Methods:

• 168 patients with chronic liver disease underwent ultrasound elastography.
• Shear wave velocity (Vs) was measured using multiple devices, compared with VsN.
• The absolute average difference in Vs (|ΔVs|) was calculated. VsN was categorized into groups: ≥50, <50, and 0 (failure).

Main Results:

• A VsN <50 was associated with higher |ΔVs|, indicating greater variability between devices.
• Factors like abdominal circumference, BMI, and probe-liver distance influenced VsN.
• Increased probe-liver distance (>2 cm) significantly correlated with lower VsN (p < 0.001).

Conclusions:

• VsN serves as a valuable indicator for assessing the reliability of shear wave velocity (Vs) measurements.
• A VsN <50 suggests potential inaccuracies and warrants caution in interpreting Vs results.