Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 22, 2025
Application of Ultrasound and Shear Wave Elastography Imaging in a Rat Model of NAFLD/NASH
Published on: April 20, 2021
Assessment of Liver Fibrosis with Multisample Point Shear Wave Elastography in Obese Patients with Metabolic
Meng Sun1, Mingwei Zhong2, Fangqiong Luo1
1Department of Medical Ultrasound, The First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Jinan 250014, China (M.S., F.L., M.L., X.Z., Z.M.).
Rationale And Objectives:
To evaluate the diagnostic performance of multisample point shear wave elastography (pSWE) for liver fibrosis in obese patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) using liver biopsy as the reference standard and to compare it with the FIB-4 index and aspartate to platelet ratio index (APRI).
Methods:
Patients with obesity who met the diagnostic criteria for MASLD between April 2023 and December 2024 were selected for this retrospective single-centre study. Liver stiffness measurements were reported as median values of measurements, and Auto-pSWVs (m/s) were measured using the multisample pSWE technique. The diagnostic performance of auto shear wave velocities (Auto-pSWVs), FIB-4 index and APRI for significant fibrosis (≥F2) and advanced fibrosis (≥F3) of the liver was evaluated and compared using receiver operating characteristic curves with liver biopsy as the criterion. The correlation between Auto-pSWVs and the clinical variables of the subjects was evaluated.
Results:
Data from 241 patients were analysed. Auto-pSWVs were positively correlated with the pathological diagnosis of liver fibrosis (r=0.34, p<0.001), and the liver fibrosis stage was an independent risk factor for Auto-pSWVs (beta coefficient: 0.42, p< 0.001). In addition, Auto-pSWVs was superior to FIB-4 index and APRI when comparing the diagnostic performance of significant liver fibrosis (≥F 2) and advanced fibrosis (≥F3) (p < 0.05). The AUC of Auto-pSWVs was 0.75 (95% CI 0.66-0.85) and 0.96 (95% CI 0.89-1.0) in the ≥ F2 and ≥ F3 groups, respectively. The cut-off value for Auto-pSWVs were determined as follows: grade F2 ≥ 1.02 m/s; and grade F3 ≥ 1.30 m/s.
Conclusion:
Multisample pSWE appears to be a valuable tool for the diagnosis of liver fibrosis in obese patients with MASLD.
