Evaluation of Liver Fibrosis Using Shear Wave Elastography after Surgery for Congenital Biliary Dilatation

Liver fibrosis is not thought to occur in patients with no adverse events after surgery for congenital biliary dilatation (CBD). However, this speculation is not supported by any reports. Real-time shear wave elastography (SWE) is a noninvasive, ultrasound-based technique to evaluate liver stiffness. We aimed to clarify the presence of liver fibrosis using SWE in patients who had undergone surgery for CBD.

We included patients who underwent radical surgery for CBD, who were followed up until March 2022, and have been performed with SWE at our institution from April 2021 to March 2022. Liver stiffness was evaluated using SWE, and liver fibrosis stages (F0-F4; METAVIR scoring) were determined based on the previously reported associations between liver stiffness and liver fibrosis. We assessed the general condition of each patient and performed routine blood investigations on the same day as SWE.

Two out of 20 patients had long-term complications (intrahepatic stones without symptoms [n = 1], recurrent cholangitis [n = 1]). The median hepatic shear wave propagation velocity was 1.26 (range, 1.12-1.60) m/s in all cases. The estimated liver fibrosis stage was ≤F1 in patients without long-term complications. In patient with recurrent cholangitis, the hepatic shear wave propagation velocity was 1.60 m/s, and the estimated liver fibrosis stage was F3.

Liver fibrosis tended not to occur in patients with no complications after surgery for CBD. However, patients with long-term postoperative complications, such as cholangitis, should be examined using SWE so as not to overlook liver cirrhosis.