Correlation Between Liver Stiffness Measured by Shear Wave Elastography and Child-Pugh Classification.

Area of Science:

• Hepatology
• Medical Imaging
• Diagnostic Ultrasound

Background:

• Liver cirrhosis significantly impacts liver function, necessitating accurate assessment methods.
• The Child-Pugh classification is a standard tool for evaluating cirrhosis severity.
• Non-invasive techniques are sought to complement or replace invasive liver assessments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the correlation between liver stiffness, measured by shear wave elastography (SWE), and the Child-Pugh classification in patients with liver cirrhosis.
• To assess the diagnostic capability of liver stiffness in evaluating liver function severity.

Main Methods:

• Prospective study of 116 patients with liver cirrhosis, categorized by Child-Pugh classification.
• Conventional ultrasound and SWE were performed on all participants.
• Statistical analysis explored associations between liver stiffness, ultrasound findings, biochemical markers, and Child-Pugh scores; ROC curves were used for diagnostic evaluation.

Main Results:

• Liver stiffness measured by SWE positively correlated with Child-Pugh classification, hepatic portal vein diameter, splenic vein diameter, spleen thickness, spleen length, total bilirubin, and prothrombin time (all P < .05).
• Liver stiffness and albumin levels demonstrated higher areas under the curve for evaluating Child-Pugh classification compared to other parameters.
• Albumin and cholinesterase levels showed negative correlations with the Child-Pugh classification (P < .05).

Conclusions:

• Liver stiffness, as measured by SWE, is significantly correlated with the Child-Pugh classification in patients with liver cirrhosis.
• SWE shows potential as a valuable, non-invasive tool for assessing liver function and disease severity in cirrhosis.