Shear wave elastography and shear wave dispersion imaging in primary biliary cholangitis-a pilot study

Area of Science:

• Hepatology
• Medical Imaging
• Non-invasive Diagnostics

Background:

• Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a chronic liver disease.
• Fibrosis and cirrhosis are common complications of PBC.
• Two-dimensional shear wave elastography (2D-SWE) is an emerging technique for fibrosis assessment, but data in PBC is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of 2D-SWE for characterizing liver disease severity in PBC patients.
• To explore the utility of novel non-invasive imaging methods, attenuation imaging (ATI) and shear wave dispersion imaging (SWD), in PBC.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-two PBC patients underwent 2D-SWE, SWD, and ATI.
• Established non-invasive fibrosis and steatosis assessment methods were used.
• Liver function tests were performed concurrently.

Main Results:

• 2D-SWE showed significant correlations with spleen length, platelet count, non-invasive fibrosis scores (FIB-4, APRI), and transient elastography (TE).
• Shear wave dispersion imaging (SWD) correlated with alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels, a known prognostic marker in PBC.

Conclusions:

• 2D-SWE is a reliable non-invasive method for assessing liver fibrosis in PBC.
• SWD shows promise as a valuable tool for evaluating liver disease activity in PBC, particularly due to its correlation with ALP.