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Updated: Mar 2, 2026

Measurement of Liver Stiffness Using Atomic Force Microscopy Coupled with Polarization Microscopy
Published on: July 20, 2022
Liver Stiffness Assessed by Shear Wave Elastography Predicts Postoperative Liver Failure in Patients with
Yinghao Shen1,2, Chenhao Zhou1,2, Guodong Zhu3
1Department of Liver Surgery, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
Background:
Cirrhosis increases a patient's risk of developing postoperative liver failure (PLF). Liver stiffness (LS), assessed by two-dimensional shear wave elastography (SWE), indicates liver fibrosis with high accuracy. Whether LS is superior to portal hypertension (PHT) in predicting PLF remains to be studied.
Methods:
The study enrolled 280 patients who underwent hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma from July 2015 to July 2016. All patients received preoperative assessments for LS, PHT, and serum markers of liver fibrosis in addition to other clinicopathological tests. Risk factors for grade A and grade B (or greater) PLF were subjected to univariate and multivariate analysis and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis.
Results:
Fifty-five patients (19.6%) experienced PLF. The cutoff value of LS for predicting cirrhosis was 10.1 kPa. Multivariate analysis identified LS, hyaluronic acid, IV collagen, and the presence of splenomegaly as independent predictors of PLF. The cutoff value of LS for predicting PLF and grade B (or greater) PLF was 11.75 and 11.9 kPa, respectively. LS was superior to PHT in predicting PLF or greater than grade B PLF (0.72 vs. 0.60, 0.76 vs. 0.59, P < 0.05).
Conclusion:
LS measured by SWE can predict risk of PLF with greater accuracy than PHT.
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