Point-shear wave elastography generated by acoustic radiation force impulse in chronic pancreatitis

Area of Science:

• Medical imaging
• Gastroenterology
• Elastography

Background:

• Chronic pancreatitis (CP) diagnosis and monitoring can be challenging.
• Transcutaneous point-shear wave elastography (p-SWE) offers a non-invasive method to assess pancreatic stiffness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the diagnostic and monitoring utility of pancreatic p-SWE in chronic pancreatitis.
• To correlate pancreatic stiffness measurements with disease severity and complications.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study included 175 participants: CP patients (n=65), liver cirrhosis (LC) patients (n=60), alcohol abuse patients (n=10), and healthy controls (n=40).
• Pancreatic and splenic point-shear wave elastography (p-SWE) were performed to quantify shear wave velocity (SWV).
• The M-ANNHEIM Severity score was used to assess CP disease activity.

Main Results:

• Pancreatic SWV was significantly elevated in CP patients compared to controls (1.38 vs. 0.96 m/s).
• A cut-off SWV of 1.2 m/s demonstrated high specificity (90%) and sensitivity (81%) for identifying non-hereditary CP.
• Pancreatic SWV correlated significantly with the M-ANNHEIM Severity score, CP complications, and hospitalization need.

Conclusions:

• Transcutaneous pancreatic p-SWE is a valuable, non-invasive bedside tool for diagnosing and monitoring CP.
• Increased pancreatic SWV is expected in cases of portal hypertension.
• p-SWE provides crucial information for managing CP patients.