Which are the cut-off values of 2D-Shear Wave Elastography (2D-SWE) liver stiffness measurements predicting different stages of liver fibrosis, considering Transient Elastography (TE) as the reference method?

Abstract

IntroductionTo identify liver stiffness (LS) cut-off values assessed by means of 2D-Shear Wave Elastography (2D-SWE) for predicting different stages of liver fibrosis, considering Transient Elastography (TE) as the reference method. MethodsOur prospective study included 383 consecutive subjects, with or without hepatopathies, in which LS was evaluated by means of TE and 2D-SWE. To discriminate between various stages of fibrosis by TE we used the following LS cut-offs (kPa): F1-6, F2-7.2, F3-9.6 and F4-14.5. ResultsThe rate of reliable LS measurements was similar for TE and 2D-SWE: 73.9% vs. 79.9%, p=0.06. Older age and higher BMI were associated for both TE and 2D-SWE with the impossibility to obtain reliable LS measurements. Reliable LS measurements by both elastographic methods were obtained in 65.2% of patients. A significant correlation was found between TE and 2D-SWE measurements (r=0.68). The best LS cut-off values assessed by 2D-SWE for predicting different stages of liver fibrosis were: F≥1: >7.1kPa (AUROC=0.825); F≥2: >7.8kPa (AUROC=0.859); F≥3: >8kPa (AUROC=0.897) and for F=4: >11.5kPa (AUROC=0.914). Conclusions2D-SWE is a reliable method for the non-invasive evaluation of liver fibrosis, considering TE as the reference method. The accuracy of 2D-SWE measurements increased with the severity of liver fibrosis.