The Relationship of Liver Stiffness with Liver Size, Age, Gender, and Body Mass Index in Child and Adult Age Groups by 2-D Shear Wave Elastography

Abstract

Aim: The study aimed to evaluate the normal liver stiffness value (LSV) with shear wave elastography (SWE) in children and adults, and reveal the relationship between LSV and age, gender, body mass index (BMI), and liver size. Material and Methods: A total of 173 healthy volunteers, 92 female and 81 male, aged between 4 and 50 years were included in this study. LSV measurements were performed in the supine position during normal breathing and from the right intercostal space where the acoustic window is best. The mean of the five valid measurements was accepted as the mean LSV. The relationship between the mean LSV and age, gender, liver size, and BMI was evaluated. Results: There was a moderate positive correlation between LSV and age (p<0.001, r=0.609), LSV and BMI (p<0.001, r=0.512), and LSV and liver size (p<0.001, r=0.485). However, the multivariate linear regression analysis revealed that the effects of liver size and gender on LSV were not significant (p=0.091, and p=0.759, respectively), while the effects of age and BMI were significant (p<0.001, and p=0.019, respectively). Conclusion: 2-D SWE is an effective imaging method to evaluate LSV both in children and adults. LSV increases with increasing age and BMI, however, it is not affected by gender and liver size. The normal LSV obtained in the present study can be used as reference values in the evaluation of various liver diseases with 2-D SWE.