Quantification Of Hepatic Fibrosis Research Articles

Ultrasound Image Computerized Analysis for Non-invasive Quantitative Evaluation of Hepatic Fibrosis.

Assessing the diagnostic value of liver ultrasound image computerized analysis (USICA) for hepatic fibrosis (HF) staging in respect to the "gold standard" provided by liver biopsy (LB). Two-hundred twenty-eight patients with chronic hepatopathies were prospectively enrolled in the study. All the patients underwent LB and abdominal ultrasound (US). For quantitative US assessment of HF, an image analysis software was developed and 3 parameters were extracted by wavelet processing of the region of interest: mHLlivermHHliver, mHLlivermLLliver, and mHLlivermHLspleen. To assess the relevance of each feature, the support vector machine (SVM) classifiers were employed to discriminate between the 2 severity classes (i.e., incipient F1-F2 vs advanced F3-F4 fibrosis). The statistical significance of the HF staging was assessed using SVM classifiers, in terms of sensitivity (Se), specificity (Sp), and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. A cut-off value of 0.342 of mHLlivermHHliver allowed the discrimination between the incipient and advanced HF with 79.5% Se and 77.4% Sp, at an area under receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) value of 0.867 (P < .001). The proposed USICA using wavelet filter parameters proved to be an innovative method that is useful for the initial noninvasive evaluation and quantification of HF, with the advantages of simplicity, short calculation time, accessibility, and repeatability. The mHLlivermHHliver parameter has demonstrated good accuracy in distinguishing incipient and advanced HF and can be considered an effective non-invasive imaging marker for the assessment of HF in patients with chronic hepatic disease.

Preliminary experience with 3T magnetic resonance elastography imaging of the liver.

BackgroundMagnetic resonance elastography (MRE) is a promising non-invasive technique for the identification and quantification of hepatic fibrosis. This manuscript describes our early experience with MRE for the assessment of the presence and staging of liver fibrosis on a 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system.ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to describe the MRE physics, procedure, interpretation and drawbacks, along with a few recommendations as per our experience.MethodMagnetic resonance elastography was performed on 85 patients with a 3T MRI and the images were analysed both qualitatively and quantitatively. Liver stiffness was assessed by drawing freehand geographic regions of interest on the elastograms to cover the maximum portion of the hepatic parenchyma within the 95% confidence maps on each slice. Correlation with histopathology was performed whenever available.ResultsOf the 80 patients who met the inclusion criteria, 41 patients displayed a normal liver stiffness measurement (LSM) and 39 patients had a raised LSM. In the patients who had a raised LSM, 14 patients had Stage I–II fibrosis, 8 patients had Stage II–III fibrosis, 6 patients had Stage III–IV fibrosis, 4 patients had Stage IV fibrosis or cirrhosis and 7 patients had non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. The mean thickness of the waves increased with increasing stages of fibrosis. The waves became gradually darker medially in patients with normal LSM as compared to the patients with raised LSM. Histopathology with METAVIR scoring was available in 46 patients, which agreed with the MRE findings in all except two patients.ConclusionMagnetic resonance elastography is a suitable non-invasive modality for the identification and quantification of hepatic fibrosis.

Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging and micro-RNA in the diagnosis of hepatic fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C virus

BACKGROUNDDiffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging has shown promise in the detection and quantification of hepatic fibrosis. In addition, the liver has numerous endogenous micro-RNAs (miRs) that play important roles in the regulation of biological processes such as cell proliferation and hepatic fibrosis.AIMTo assess diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging and miRs in diagnosing and staging hepatic fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C.METHODSThis prospective study included 208 patients and 82 age- and sex-matched controls who underwent diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging of the abdomen, miR profiling, and liver biopsy. Pathological scoring was classified according to the METAVIR scoring system. The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and miR were calculated and correlated with pathological scoring.RESULTSThe ADC value decreased significantly with the progression of fibrosis, from controls (F0) to patients with early fibrosis (F1 and F2) to those with late fibrosis (F3 and F4) (median 1.92, 1.53, and 1.25 × 10-3 mm2/s, respectively) (P = 0.001). The cut-off ADC value used to differentiate patients from controls was 1.83 × 10-3 mm2/s with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.992. Combining ADC and miR-200b revealed the highest AUC (0.995) for differentiating patients from controls with an accuracy of 96.9%. The cut-off ADC used to differentiate early fibrosis from late fibrosis was 1.54 × 10-3 mm2/s with an AUC of 0.866. The combination of ADC and miR-200b revealed the best AUC (0.925) for differentiating early fibrosis from late fibrosis with an accuracy of 80.2%. The ADC correlated with miR-200b (r = - 0.61, P = 0.001), miR-21 (r = - 0.62, P = 0.001), and miR-29 (r = 0.52, P = 0.001).CONCLUSIONCombining ADC and miRs offers an alternative surrogate non-invasive diagnostic tool for diagnosing and staging hepatic fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Covering the Cover

Covering the Cover

Non-invasive quantification of hepatic fibrosis in toxic and cholestatic mouse models by magnetic resonance relaxometry (MRR)

Non-invasive quantification of hepatic fibrosis in toxic and cholestatic mouse models by magnetic resonance relaxometry (MRR)

Non-invasive quantification of hepatic fibrosis in the CCl4 mouse model by magnetic resonance relaxometry (MRR): first results

Non-invasive quantification of hepatic fibrosis in the CCl4 mouse model by magnetic resonance relaxometry (MRR): first results

Non-invasive assessment of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C

Quantification of hepatic fibrosis is of critical importance in chronic hepatitis C not only for prognosis, but also for antiviral treatment indication. Two end points are clinically relevant: detection of significant fibrosis (indication for antiviral treatment) and detection of cirrhosis (screening for eosphageal varices and hepatocellular carcinoma). Until recently, liver biopsy was considered the reference method for the evaluation of liver fibrosis. Limitations of liver biopsy (invasiveness, sampling error, and inter-observer variability) have led to the development of non-invasive methods. Currently available methods rely on two different approaches: a "biological" approach based on the dosage of serum fibrosis biomarkers; and a "physical" approach based on the measurement of liver stiffness, using transient elastography (TE). This review is aimed at discussing the advantages and limits of non-invasive methods and liver biopsy and the perspectives for their rational use in clinical practice in the management of patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Diagnosis and quantification of hepatic fibrosis in children with diffusion weighted MR imaging

Purpose To evaluate the accuracy of diffusion weighted MR imaging in diagnosis and quantification of hepatic fibrosis in children with chronic hepatitis. Materials and methods Sixty-three consecutive children (40 boys, 23 girls, median age 9.3 years), with chronic hepatitis and thirty age matched volunteers underwent diffusion weighted MR imaging of the liver using a single shot echoplanar imaging with b-value = 0, 250, and 500 s/mm 2. Liver biopsy was obtained with calculation of METAVIR score. The ADC value of the liver was correlated with METAVIR score. Receiver operating characteristic curve was done for diagnosis and grading of hepatic fibrosis. Results There was statistical difference in the mean ADC value between volunteers and patients with hepatic fibrosis ( P = 0.001) and in patients with different grades of METAVIR scores ( P = 0.002). There was correlation between the mean ADC value and METAVIR score ( r = 0.807, P = 0.001). The cut off point to predict fibrosis (1.7 × 10 −3 mm 2/s) revealed 83% accuracy, 85% sensitivity, 82% specificity, 83% PPV, and 85% NPV. The area under the curve was 0.91 for F1, 0.85 for F2, 0.86 for F3 and 0.90 for F4. Conclusion The apparent diffusion coefficient value is a promising quantitative parameter used for diagnosis and quantification of hepatic fibrosis in children with chronic hepatitis.

Évaluation non invasive de la fibrose hépatique au cours des hépatites chroniques virales C: Jérôme Guéchot1 et le groupe de travail “Marqueurs biologiques de fibrose hépatique”2

Development of liver fibrosis, which leads to cirrhosis, is the principal complication of all chronic liver diseases, regardless of their cause. Knowledge of the existence and severity of fibrosis is important from diagnostic and prognostic viewpoints. Its assessment plays an essential role in the treatment decision and makes it possible to assess the risk of progression to cirrhosis and the onset of its complications. Histologic examination of the liver remains the reference examination for assessing the extent of fibrosis during chronic liver disease. Nonetheless, the number of patients needing assessment, the risks of the punch-biopsy and the cost of this invasive examination have led many to propose other tools to assess fibrosis. Some standard indicators (transaminases, platelets, prothrombin time) have long been recognized as indirect markers of extensive fibrosis. More recently, progress in our knowledge of the mechanisms of liver fibrogenesis have made it possible to identify different peripheral blood components that may be of clinical interest. Thus serum assays of elements of the extracellular matrix, their decay products, or enzymes involved in their metabolism have been proposed as noninvasive indicators. Among these, hyaluronic acid appears the most interesting. For several years, scores have been calculated with algorithms that combine several indicators determined simultaneously to assess fibrosis in patients with hepatitis C and sometimes other chronic liver diseases. The Fibrotest is the best validated and most widely used of these. Finally, Fibroscan is a device for the diagnosis and quantification of hepatic fibrosis, based on the technique of transient elastography. The relative roles of these noninvasive markers and the value of their combinations must still be determined.

Diagnostic et quantification de la fibrose hépatique par IRM de diffusion : résultats préliminaires

Purpose Diagnosis and quantification of hepatic fibrosis are especially important in patients with chronic liver disease. Liver biopsy remains the gold standard for diagnosis of cirrhosis but has several limitations. The purpose of this study was to determine the usefulness of diffusion-weighted MR imaging, for the diagnosis of cirrhosis and quantification of hepatic fibrosis, and to define the best sequence parameters for this evaluation. Methods and Materials Diffusion-weighted imaging using a 1.5 T MR unit was performed in 14 healthy volunteers and 13 cirrhotic patients. Sets of 8 images with different b values (200, 400, 600, and 800 sec/mm 2) and different TR (3500 and 5000 ms) were acquired with breath-holding. Apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) were calculated. Correlation between Child-Pugh scores, serum hyaluronate concentrations and ADCs were performed. Results ADCs were significantly lower in cirrhotic patients (2,055 10 -3) compared to controls (2,915 10 -3) (p<0.05) when the b value was 200s/mm 2 and the TR was 5000ms. Significant correlations were observed between Child-Pugh scores and ADCs (p<0.05), and between serum hyaluronate concentrations and ADCs (p<0.05), when the b value was 400sec/mm 2 and the TR was 5000ms. Conclusion Our preliminary study showed that the measurement of ADCs has good potential for diagnosis and quantification of hepatic fibrosis, especially when using b values of 200sec/mm 2 and 400sec/mm 2.