Multiparametric ultrasound evaluation of liver fibrosis, steatosis, and viscosity in patients with chronic liver disease.

Abstract

This study assessed the effectiveness of three ultrasound-based techniques (2D-SWE.PLUS, Att.PLUS, Vi.PLUS)for non-invasive evaluation of liver fibrosis, steatosis, and inflammation in chronic liver disease (CLD) patients.Materialsand methods: Involving 209 consecutive compensated CLD patients, the study compared these ultrasound methods from Aixplorerwith standard Vibration-controlled Transient Elastography (VCTE) and Controlled Attenuation Parameter (CAP) fromFibroscan, alongside non-invasive serological markers. High validity rates were observed in measurements: 99% forVCTE, 89% for 2D-SWE.PLUS/Vi.PLUS, and 96.6% for Att.PLUS. 2D-SWE.PLUS showed a strong correlation with VCTE(R=0.91) and excelled at a lower Stability Index (80%), with optimal cut-offs for moderate and severe fibrosis at 8 kPa and 10kPa, respectively. 2D-SWE.PLUS was superior to Fib4, eLIFT, APRI, BARD, and NFS in detecting advanced CLD. Att.PLUSmoderately correlated with CAP (R=0.47) for steatosis grades, while Viscosity was highly effective in identifying significantfibrosis (AUC=0.87) but less so for inflammation. 2D-SWE.PLUS demonstrated superior diagnostic precisionin liver fibrosis, exceeding other non-invasive markers. Att.PLUS was relatively accurate for liver steatosis, and viscosity moreeffectively indicated fibrosis stages than inflammation in CLD patients.