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Updated: Mar 26, 2026
Application of Ultrasound and Shear Wave Elastography Imaging in a Rat Model of NAFLD/NASH
Published on: April 20, 2021
Elastography of shear wave speed imaging for the evaluation of liver fibrosis: A meta-analysis
Quan-Yuan Shan1, Bao-Xian Liu1, Wen-Shuo Tian1
1Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Ultrasound, Department of Medical Ultrasonics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Aim:
A meta-analysis was carried out to assess the accuracies of shear wave speed imaging (SWSI) in predicting significant fibrosis (stages F2-4) and cirrhosis (stage F4).
Methods:
A review was performed of relevant studies published until October 2015. A bivariate binomial model was used to combine the sensitivity, specificity, and the area under the summary receiver operating characteristic (AUC), and 95% confidence intervals were derived to indicate the diagnostic accuracy of imaging modalities.
Results:
In total, 10 studies with 2182 patients were included in the analysis. The sensitivity, specificity, and AUC (with 95% confidence intervals) of SWSI were: 0.84 (0.81-0.87), 0.83 (0.77-0.88), and 0.88 (0.85-0.90) for significant fibrosis, respectively; and 0.80 (0.66-0.89), 0.93 (0.88-0.96), and 0.95 (0.92-0.96) for cirrhosis, respectively. When SWSI was compared with well-evaluated transient elastography, the AUCs for the prediction of significant fibrosis were 0.93 and 0.86, respectively. The AUCs for the prediction of cirrhosis were both 0.94.
Conclusion:
Shear wave speed imaging is a trustworthy tool for staging hepatic fibrosis, with a high combination of sensitivity and specificity. Compared with transient elastography, SWSI showed better diagnostic performance for the prediction of significant fibrosis.
