Non-invasive Assessment of Subclinical Renal Parenchymal Changes in Chronic Hepatitis B Virus By T1 Mapping Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Background: Renal parenchymal changes are seen in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, and its disease diagnosis should be confirmed by renal biopsy, which is an invasive technique. Apparent-T1 mapping magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an established imaging technique that assesses subclinical tissue injury without using a contrast agent. Aims: To investigate the early stage subclinical renal changes without apparent renal dysfunction in patients with chronic HBV infection by renal apparent-T1 mapping MRI. Study Design: A cross-sectional study. Methods: This study included 45 participants with normal kidney function, wherein 25 have biopsy-proven chronic HBV hepatitis and 20 are healthy individuals. Liver and kidney biochemical tests were performed within 1 month before the MRI scan, and the estimated glomerular filtration rate was calculated by diet modification in renal disease formula. Breath-hold, electrocardiogram-gated Modified Look-Locker Imaging sequence was acquired in the coronal plane without contrast agent administration. Apparent-T1 mapping value was measured by manually drawing a region of interest in six points for both kidneys by two observers. Apparent-T1 mapping values were compared between the two groups. Results: The mean apparent-T1 mapping values of the kidneys were significantly higher in patients with chronic HBV infection compared to the control group (1445 ± 129 ms vs. 1306 ± 115 ms, P = 0.003). Inter-class correlation coefficient measurement analysis showed excellent agreement. Conclusion: Renal apparent-T1 mapping MRI may help show the early stage of renal parenchymal disease without apparent renal dysfunction in chronic HBV infection.

Assessment of liver fibrosis by transient elastography and multi-parameters model in young children with chronic hepatitis B virus infection.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare the diagnostic value of the single or combined applications of transient elastography (TE) and multivariate indicators with biopsy for the detection of liver fibrosis in children caused by chronic hepatitis B (CHB). METHODS: This study included 148 CHB children treated at Hunan Children's Hospital from January 1st 2015 to December 31st 2018, aged from 0.83 to 14.58 years old. All patients underwent liver biopsy (LB), of which 43 patients underwent TE. Multiple clinical data, including aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), Platelet (PLT), and HBV-deoxyribonucleic acid (HBV DNA) of all patients were collected. The diagnostic values for CHB of TE and its combinations with these indicators were measured. The patients were classified in two ways: no hepatic fibrosis group (F0) versus fibrosis group (F ≥ 1), and no significant hepatic fibrosis group (F < 2) versus significant hepatic fibrosis group (F ≥ 2). The statistical assessment was performed between groups within each classification to compare the diagnostic value of different parameters. RESULTS: The operating characteristic area under curve (AUC) of liver fibrosis diagnosed by liver stiffness measurement (LSM) which obtained by TE, AST-to-PLT ratio index (APRI), and fibrosis-4 index (FIB-4) were 0.740, 0.701, and 0.651, while the corresponding cut-off values were 5.9 kPa, 0.50, and 0.10, respectively. The AUC of significant liver fibrosis diagnosed by LSM, APRI and FIB-4 were 0.849, 0.701, and 0.509, while the corresponding cut-off values were 8.4 kPa, 0.76, and 0.08, respectively. While with the combinations of LSM and APRI, LSM and FIB-4, LSM and APRI and FIB-4, APRI and FIB-4, the AUC of significant liver fibrosis were 0.866, 0.855, 0.869, and 0.684, respectively. The AUC of significant liver fibrosis diagnosed by the LSM was significantly higher than APRI and FIB-4. CONCLUSIONS: The diagnostic value of transient elastography was better than that of APRI and FIB-4 for CHB children with significant liver fibrosis. In addition, TE also has relatively high application values on the diagnosis of patients with different degrees of liver fibrosis caused by CHB.

Usefulness of New Shear Wave Elastography Technique for Noninvasive Assessment of Liver Fibrosis in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B: A Prospective Multicenter Study.

PURPOSE: To explore the usefulness of liver stiffness measurements (LSMs) by sound touch elastography (STE) and sound touch quantification (STQ) in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients for staging fibrosis. METHODS: This prospective multicenter study recruited normal volunteers and CHB patients between May 2018 and October 2019. The volunteers underwent LSM by STE and supersonic shear imaging (SSI) or by STQ and acoustic radiation force impulse imaging (ARFI). CHB patients underwent liver biopsy and LSM by both STE/STQ. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) for staging fibrosis were calculated. RESULTS: Overall, 97 volunteers and 524 CHB patients were finally eligible for the study. The successful STE and STQ measurement rates were both 100 % in volunteers and 99.4 % in CHB patients. The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for the intra-observer stability of STE and STQ (0.94; 0.90) were similar to those of SSI and ARFI (0.95; 0.87), respectively. STE and STQ showed better accuracy than the aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) and fibrosis-4 index (FIB-4) (AUC: 0.87 vs 0.86 vs 0.73 vs 0.77) in staging cirrhosis. However, both STE and STQ were not superior to APRI and FIB-4 in staging significant fibrosis (AUC: 0.76 vs 0.73 vs 0.70 vs 0.71, all P-values > 0.05). CONCLUSION: STE and STQ are convenient techniques with a reliable LSM value. They have a similar diagnostic performance and are superior to serum biomarkers in staging cirrhosis in CHB patients.

Assessment of liver fibrosis by transient elastography in young children with chronic hepatitis B virus infection.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to compare the diagnostic accuracy of transient elastography (TE) and biopsy for the detection of liver fibrosis in children with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). METHODS: This single-center prospective study included 157 CHB children aged 0-6 years. All patients underwent liver stiffness measurement (LSM) by TE and liver biopsy, separated by an interval of less than 1 week. RESULTS: The LSM, aspartate aminotransferase-platelet ratio index (APRI), and fibrosis-4 index (FIB-4) were positively correlated with activity grade and fibrosis stage in CHB children. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) of LSM for identifying significant (F ≥ 2) and advanced (F ≥ 3) fibrosis were 0.732 and 0.941, respectively. The cut-off values, specificity, and sensitivity for significant fibrosis were 5.6 kPa, 75.7%, and 67.4%, respectively; the corresponding values for advanced fibrosis were 6.9 kPa, 91.5%, and 81.3%, respectively. Compared to LSM, the overall diagnostic performances of APRI and FIB-4 for significant and advanced fibrosis were suboptimal, with low AUCs and sensitivity. Since LSM, platelet, and Log10 (hepatitis B surface antigen) were independent factors associated with the fibrosis stage (F < 2 and F ≥ 2), they were used to formulate the "LPS" index for the prediction of F ≥ 2. The AUC of LPS (for F ≥ 2) was higher than that of LSM (0.792 vs. 0.732, p < 0.05), and had an improved sensitivity (76.6% vs. 67.4%). CONCLUSIONS: TE is a promising technology for the diagnosis of advanced fibrosis in CHB children aged 0-6 years.

Preoperative noninvasive assessment for liver fibrosis in hepatocellular carcinoma patients with chronic hepatitis B: Comparison of two-dimensional shear-wave elastography with serum liver fibrosis models.

PURPOSE: To investigate the diagnostic performance of two-dimensional shear-wave elastography (2D-SWE) in hepatocellular carcinoma patients with chronic hepatitis B adapted to hepatectomy comparing to serum liver fibrosis models. METHOD: 100 patients with chronic hepatitis B who first diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma and had undergone 2D-SWE measurements before the hepatectomy were included. The performance of 2D-SWE and serum models in the diagnosis of liver fibrosis was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses. RESULTS: The areas under ROC (AUCs) for 2D-SWE, Forns score, aspartate transaminase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) and Fibrosis 4 Score (FIB-4) were 0.983, 0.757, 0.745, 0.710 in the diagnosis of significant fibrosis (F ≥ 2) respectively, and 0.896, 0.718, 0.626, 0.575 in the diagnosis of cirrhosis (F = 4) respectively. The AUCs for 2D-SWE in the diagnosis of significant fibrosis and cirrhosis were significantly higher than those for the serum fibrosis models (p < 0.05). The AUCs of Forns in the diagnosis of significant fibrosis (F ≥ 2) showed no statistical differences (p > 0.05) with those of APRI and FIB-4 while in the diagnosis of cirrhosis (F = 4), they are significantly higher (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: 2D-SWE is a reliable method for preoperative noninvasive assessment of liver fibrosis in HCC patients with CHB, with notably higher diagnostic accuracy than serum liver fibrosis models.

Noninvasive assessment of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B carriers with sound touch elastography: study of surgical pathology specimens.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of sound touch elastography (STE) for staging liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients using pathological stage of surgical specimens as the reference standard. METHOD: 239 CHB patients were included. Liver stiffness measurements (LSMs) on STE and Supersonic shear imaging (SSI), gamma glutamyl transferase-to-platelet ratio (GPR), aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI) and four-factor Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index were obtained. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves (AUCs) for the diagnosis of fibrosis stage were calculated and compared. RESULTS: The LSMs obtained by STE and SSI significantly correlated with the fibrosis stages (r = 0.757; r = 0.758, respectively, both p < 0.001). No significant differences in AUCs were observed between STE and SSI in identifying fibrosis ≥stage 1 (0.92 vs. 0.94), ≥stage 2 (0.89 vs. 0.91), ≥stage 3 (0.90 vs. 0.91) or stage 4 (0.92 vs. 0.91). Both STE and SSI had significantly higher AUCs in identifying each fibrosis stage than the GPR (0.68, 0.77, 0.76 and 0.79), APRI (0.53, 0.66, 0.74 and 0.69) and FIB-4 (0.61, 0.77, 0.79 and 0.74). CONCLUSIONS: STE is an efficient tool for assessing liver fibrosis in CHB patients, with performance comparable to that of SSI and superior to that of biomarkers.

Noninvasive Assessment of Liver Parenchyma Using Gray-Scale Ultrasound-Based Histogram Analysis in Patients With Chronic Hepatitis B Infection.

The aims of this study were to examine the alterations of liver echo-intensity histogram parameters in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients and to assess the potential role of histogram parameters in the evaluation of hepatic fibrosis. A total of 52 patients with CHB who underwent liver biopsies were included in the study. The control group consisted of 30 healthy individuals. Histogram parameters were obtained from histogram analysis of gray-scale ultrasound images of both groups. The histogram parameters of the groups were compared. The association of histogram parameters with the grading and staging of histological activity index (HAI) in patients with CHB were evaluated. The patient group had statistically significant lower skewness, kurtosis, and higher variance, mean, 50th, and 90th percentile values compared with control group. When patients with CHB were divided into subgroups according to HAI stage, there was the increasing trend in skewness values and decreasing trend in kurtosis values across subgroups. The first percentile values showed negative correlation with HAI staging in patients with CHB. Ultrasound is a fast, inexpensive, and reproducible imaging method; histogram analysis of gray-scale ultrasound images may provide useful information for evaluation of hepatic fibrosis in CHB patients.

Noninvasive Assessment of Liver Fibrosis in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B or C by Contrast-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Background and Aim. To develop a noninvasive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) method for evaluation of liver fibrosis. We evaluate the utility of hepatocyte-phase Gadoxetate disodium-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in staging hepatic fibrosis and compare it with histological analysis as the reference standard (liver biopsy). Methods. Prospective cohort of 78 patients, who received Gadoxetate disodium dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI), were divided into three groups. The first group (n=19) was a control group of healthy individuals without liver injury and remaining 59 subjects were chronic hepatitis B and C patients who underwent liver biopsy. These patients were divided into the mild fibrosis F1-F2 (n=32) and advanced fibrosis F3-F4 (n=27) groups. Patients were examined by generated DCE-MRI in 20th minute. Variables such as liver surface changes, homogeneities, and quantitative contrast liver/spleen ratio-Q-LSCR were evaluated and these results were consequently compared between the three groups. Results. Gd-EOB-DTPA contrast-enhanced dynamic liver MRI examination (DCE-MRI) can in the 20th minute differentiate mild stage of liver fibrosis (F1-F2) from severe stage of liver fibrosis (F3-F4) on the basis of liver surface changes, homogeneities, and quantitative contrast liver/spleen ratio-Q-LSCR. Diagnostic MRI criteria were created and named MRI Triple test. This test correctly identified 96% of patients with F3-F4 fibrosis and 91% of patients with the F1-F2 fibrosis in the liver biopsy. This test correctly identified 42,1% of patients in the control group (presumed F0 fibrosis without liver disease). Spearman's rank correlation coefficient (r = 0,86, P < .001) confirmed high agreement of biopsy and MR Triple test. MR Triple test's sensitivity was 96.30% (95%CI 81.03% to 99.91%), specificity 90.62% (95%CI 74.98% to 98.02%), positive predictive value 89.66% (95%CI 74.64% to 96.23%), and negative predictive value 96.67% (95%CI 80.86% to 99.50%) for discrimination between F3-4 and F1-2 fibrosis on liver biopsy. Conclusions. Gd-EOB-DTPA contrast-enhanced MRI liver examination in 20th minute is able to reliably differentiate mild stage of liver fibrosis (F1-F2) from severe stage fibrosis (F3-F4) on the basis of Triple test (liver surface changes, homogeneities, and quantitative contrast liver/spleen ratio-Q-LSCR).

A comparative study of MR extracellular volume fraction measurement and two-dimensional shear-wave elastography in assessment of liver fibrosis with chronic hepatitis B.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the value of MR liver extracellular volume (ECVliver) in assessment of liver fibrosis with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), and to compare its performance with two-dimensional (2D) shear-wave elastography (SWE). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 68 CHB patients who were histologically diagnosed as fibrosis stages F0 to F4 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients underwent gadopentetate dimeglumine-enhanced T1-mapping and 2D SWE. ECVliver and liver stiffness were measured and compared between fibrosis subgroups; their correlations with histologic findings were evaluated using Spearman correlation test and multiple regression analysis. Diagnostic performance in evaluating liver fibrosis stages was assessed and compared using receiver-operating characteristic analysis. RESULTS: Both ECVliver and liver stiffness increased as the fibrosis score increased (F = 17.08 to 10.99, P < 0.001). ECVliver displayed a strong correlation with fibrosis stage (r = 0.740, P < 0.001), and liver stiffness displayed a moderate correlation (r = 0.651, P < 0.001); multivariate analysis revealed that only ECVliver was independently correlated with fibrosis stage (P < 0.001). Univariate analyses showed significant correlations of ECVliver with fibrosis stage, inflammatory activity, and platelet count; among all, the fibrosis stage had the highest correlation coefficient and was the only independent factor (P < 0.001). Overall, ECVliver had no significant different performance compared with 2D SWE for the identification of both fibrosis stage s ≥ F2 and F4 (P = 0.868 and 0.171). CONCLUSION: MR ECVliver plays a promising role in the prediction of liver fibrosis for patients with CHB, comparable to 2D SWE.

Hepatitis B assessment without hepatitis B virus DNA quantification: a prospective cohort study in Uganda.

Background: Chronic hepatitis B infection affects 240 million people, with the highest prevalence in Africa and Asia, and results in 700 000 deaths annually. Access to diagnostics, particularly for hepatitis B virus viral load quantification (HBV DNA), is a major barrier to treatment. We aimed to test World Health Organization guidelines for hepatitis B management in resource-limited settings. Methods: We compared treatment allocation with and without the use of HBV DNA in a cohort in Uganda. Hepatitis B surface antigen test-positive, human immunodeficiency virus-negative, treatment-naïve adults were recruited prospectively. Following liver ultrasound and routine haematological and biochemical tests, preliminary allocations into treatment and observation groups were made. HBV DNA was performed for each participant and final treatment decisions were made and compared with preliminary allocations. Results: Full assessment was completed for 100 participants; treatment was indicated in 20. Assessment without HBV DNA identified patients for treatment with a positive predictive value of 88.2% and a negative predictive value of 94% compared with assessment using HBV DNA. Conclusions: Where HBV DNA is unavailable, patients with hepatitis B can be assessed by liver ultrasound and routine laboratory tests. These findings will enable physicians in resource-limited settings to initiate treatment more readily and inform policy with regards to viral hepatitis elimination.

Ultrasonic assessment of liver stiffness and carotid artery elasticity in patients with chronic viral hepatitis.

BACKGROUND: This study investigated the relationship between liver stiffness and carotid artery elasticity in patients with chronic viral hepatitis. We used an acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) technique to measure stiffness, and a radio frequency (RF) vascular quantitative ultrasound technique to measure changes in common carotid artery elasticity and vascular function. METHODS: Two-hundred seventeen patients with chronic viral hepatitis caused by either hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) were enrolled. We divided the patients into two groups, one comprising 147 patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) (98 men and 49 women, average age 46.5 ± 12.2 years) and another comprising 70 patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) (47 men and 23 women, average age 47.6 ± 12.1 years). Additionally, 64 healthy age- and sex-matched participants (43 men and 21 women, average age 47.8 ± 5.1 years) were selected as the control group. The ARFI technique was used to measure liver stiffness and the RF ultrasound technique was used to measure carotid artery elasticity parameters including intima-media thickness (IMT), pulse wave velocity (PWV), arterial wall dilation coefficient (DC), compliance coefficient (CC), sclerosis indices α and ß, and augmentation index (Aix). Clinical indicators, liver stiffness, and carotid artery elasticity parameters were observed and compared between the different age groups to investigate the correlation between carotid artery elasticity parameters and liver stiffness. RESULTS: The ARFI values for the CHB and CHC groups were significantly higher than those for the control group (1.84 ± 0.52 vs. 1.04 ± 0.11 m/s; 1.86 ± 0.37 vs. 1.04 ± 0.11 m/s, respectively; P < 0.001). When compared to the control group, both CHB and CHC groups showed an IMT of the same order, but had significantly higher elasticity parameters, such as α and ß, as well as lower DC and CC values (P < 0.001). The PWV of the CHC group was significantly higher than that of the control group (7.98 ± 1.42 vs. 6.09 ± 0.90 m/s, P < 0.001). In the CHB group, all parameters including ARFI, IMT, PWV, DC, CC, α and ß, were significantly different between the two age groups (P < 0.05). Within the CHC group, all parameters including IMT, PWV, DC, α and ß, were significantly different between the two age groups (P < 0.05), except for ARFI, wherein the difference was not statistically significant. The correlation analysis and stepwise multiple linear regression analysis indicated that for patients with CHB, age was an independent predictor of common carotid artery IMT (R2 = 0.468, F = 54.635, and P < 0.001). For patients with CHC, age and blood sugar were independent predictors of common carotid artery IMT (R2 = 0.465, F = 29.118, and P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Although based on ARFI and RF ultrasound, the carotid artery IMT in patients with CHB and CHC was not significantly higher than that in the control group, their functional elasticity parameters had already changed. This finding serves as a useful reference for the clinical diagnosis of vascular diseases in patients with viral hepatitis. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials: ChiCTR1800015859 25/04/2018.

Quantitative assessment of hepatic fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B and C: T1 mapping on Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced liver magnetic resonance imaging.

AIM: To assess the accuracy of Look-Locker on gadolinium ethoxybenzyl diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA)-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for staging liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B/C (CHB/C). METHODS: We prospectively included 109 patients with CHB or CHC who underwent a 3.0-Tesla MRI examination, including T1-weighted and Look-Locker sequences for T1 mapping. Hepatocyte fractions (HeF) and relaxation time reduction rate (RE) were measured for staging liver fibrosis. A receiver operating characteristic analysis using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to compare the diagnostic performance in predicting liver fibrosis between HeF and RE. RESULTS: A total of 73 patients had both pathological results and MRI information. The number of patients in each fibrosis stage was evaluated semiquantitatively according to the METAVIR scoring system: F0, n = 23 (31.5%); F1, n = 19 (26.0%); F2, n = 13 (17.8%); F3, n = 6 (8.2%), and F4, n = 12 (16.4%). HeF by EOB enhancement imaging was significantly correlated with fibrosis stage (r = -0.808, P < 0.05). AUC values for diagnosis of any (≥ F1), significant (≥ F2) or advanced (≥ F3) fibrosis, and cirrhosis (F4) using HeF were 0.837 (0.733-0.913), 0.890 (0.795-0.951), 0.957 (0.881-0.990), and 0.957 (0.882-0.991), respectively. HeF measurement was more accurate than use of RE in establishing liver fibrosis staging, suggesting that calculation of HeF is a superior noninvasive liver fibrosis staging method. CONCLUSION: A T1 mapping-based HeF method is an efficient diagnostic tool for the staging of liver fibrosis.

Assessment of biopsy-proven liver fibrosis by two-dimensional shear wave elastography: An individual patient data-based meta-analysis.

Two-dimensional shear wave elastography (2D-SWE) has proven to be efficient for the evaluation of liver fibrosis in small to moderate-sized clinical trials. We aimed at running a larger-scale meta-analysis of individual data. Centers which have worked with Aixplorer ultrasound equipment were contacted to share their data. Retrospective statistical analysis used direct and paired receiver operating characteristic and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) analyses, accounting for random effects. Data on both 2D-SWE and liver biopsy were available for 1,134 patients from 13 sites, as well as on successful transient elastography in 665 patients. Most patients had chronic hepatitis C (n = 379), hepatitis B (n = 400), or nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (n = 156). AUROCs of 2D-SWE in patients with hepatitis C, hepatitis B, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease were 86.3%, 90.6%, and 85.5% for diagnosing significant fibrosis and 92.9%, 95.5%, and 91.7% for diagnosing cirrhosis, respectively. The AUROC of 2D-SWE was 0.022-0.084 (95% confidence interval) larger than the AUROC of transient elastography for diagnosing significant fibrosis (P = 0.001) and 0.003-0.034 for diagnosing cirrhosis (P = 0.022) in all patients. This difference was strongest in hepatitis B patients. CONCLUSION: 2D-SWE has good to excellent performance for the noninvasive staging of liver fibrosis in patients with hepatitis B; further prospective studies are needed for head-to-head comparison between 2D-SWE and other imaging modalities to establish disease-specific appropriate cutoff points for assessment of fibrosis stage. (Hepatology 2018;67:260-272).

Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse (ARFI) Elastography and Serological Markers in Assessment of Liver Fibrosis and Free Portal Pressure in Patients with Hepatitis B.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) elastography, AST-to-platelet ratio index (APRI), and FIB-4 in assessing liver fibrosis and free portal pressure in patients with hepatitis B. MATERIAL AND METHODS We enrolled 126 patients with hepatitis B who underwent liver surgery at the General Surgery Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Shihezi University Medical School from February 2013 to August 2015. Preoperatively, shear wave velocity (SWV) of the liver was measured with the Siemens S2000 ultrasound system to reflect liver stiffness. Serological markers were collected and fibrosis indices APRI and FIB-4 were calculated. Intraoperatively, liver tissues were harvested and free portal pressure (FPP) was measured. Postoperatively, fibrosis of liver tissues was pathologically staged. RESULTS The results of SWV, APRI, FIB-4, and FPP were all correlated with the degree of liver fibrosis (Spearman correlation coefficients: r=0.777, P<0.001; r=0.526, P<0.001; r=0.471, P<0.001; p<0.000; r=0.675, p<0.000). Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis showed that the areas under the curve (AUC) of ARFI, APRI, and FIB-4 in diagnosing liver fibrosis were 0.830, 0.768, and 0.717, respectively, for stage F≥1; 0.861, 0.773, and 0.754, respectively, for stage F≥2; 0.941, 0.793, and 0.779, respectively, for stage F≥3; and 0.945, 0.783, and 0.754, respectively, for stage F=4. SWV, APRI, and FIB-4 were all correlated with FPP (Pearson correlation coefficients: 0.387, P<0.001; 0.446, P<0.001; 0.419, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS ARFI, APRI, and FIB-4 can assess liver fibrosis in patients with hepatitis B when assessing the portal venous pressure. The difference in diagnostic efficacy between the 3 was not significant.

Real-time elastography (RTE): a valuable sonography-based non-invasive method for the assessment of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B.

PURPOSE: To investigate the diagnostic usefulness of real-time elastography (RTE) for liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B (CHB). METHODS: 89 CHB patients were enrolled in the cross-sectional study. Ultrasound-guided percutaneous liver biopsies, RTE, and blood testing were performed in all patients. Areas under receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROC) were used to examine the diagnostic performance of liver fibrosis index (LFI) for the assessment of liver fibrosis. RESULTS: LFI differed significantly across histologic fibrosis stages (P < 0.05), except the comparison between S0 and S1 (P = 0.298). There was a strong positive correlation between LFI and histologic liver fibrosis stage (Spearman r = 0.831, P < 0.001). The cutoff LFI value of >2.74 indicated a sensitivity of 0.766 and a specificity of 0.872 for predicting significant liver fibrosis (S ≥ 2), and the cutoff LFI value of >3.61 indicated a sensitivity of 0.833 and a specificity of 0.878 for predicting early liver cirrhosis (S = 4). LFI showed higher AUROC for discriminating significant liver fibrosis (0.873 vs. 0.614) and early liver cirrhosis (0.923 vs. 0.769) than aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI). CONCLUSIONS: RTE is a valuable sonography-based non-invasive method for assessment of liver fibrosis and has better discrimination power for significant liver fibrosis and early liver cirrhosis than APRI in CHB.

Noninvasive Assessment of Liver Fibrosis Stage Using Ultrasound-Based Shear Wave Velocity Measurements and Serum Algorithms in Patients With Viral Hepatitis B: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVES: Liver biopsy remains the reference standard for the assessment of liver fibrosis, but this procedure is invasive and can lead to complications. Thus, studies to determine the optimal noninvasive test are warranted. This study compared several noninvasive tests and their combinations for evaluating liver fibrosis stages in patients with chronic hepatitis B. METHODS: The shear wave velocity (SWV) and laboratory indicators were collected from 174 patients with chronic hepatitis B. Formulas were applied to calculate the serum fibrosis model, including the aspartate aminotransaminase-to-platelet ratio index (APRI), fibrosis-4 index (FIB-4) and aspartate aminotransferase-to-alanine aminotransferase ratio (AAR). The diagnostic performance of all noninvasive tests was assessed in comparison with percutaneous liver biopsy, based on a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. RESULTS: The SWV (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC], 0.82) and APRI (AUC = 0.77) performed better than the FIB-4 (AUC = 0.62), and the AAR (AUC = 0.47) was not suitable for evaluating substantial liver fibrosis (stage ≥F2). The SWV (AUC = 0.96) was the best indicator, being superior to the APRI (AUC = 0.75) and FIB-4 (AUC = 0.74), and the AAR (AUC = 0.45) was not suitable for assessing cirrhosis (F4). Combining the SWV and APRI, the AUC improved to 0.85 for substantial liver fibrosis, and the sensitivity increased to 100% for cirrhosis. CONCLUSIONS: The SWV, APRI, and FIB-4 were valid tests for evaluating substantial liver fibrosis and cirrhosis. The combination of these tests with several noninvasive indicators is expected to enhance the assessment of liver fibrosis stages.

Comparison of acoustic radiation force impulse imaging and transient elastography for non-invasive assessment of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B.

The aims of this study were to compare the performance of acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) elastography and transient elastography (TE) in the assessment of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B and to evaluate the impact of elevated alanine transaminase levels on liver stiffness assessment using ARFI elastography. One hundred eighty consecutive patients with chronic hepatitis B were enrolled in this study and evaluated with respect to histologic and biochemical features. All patients underwent ARFI elastography and TE. ARFI elastography and TE correlated significantly with histologically assessed fibrosis (r = 0.599, p < 0.001, for ARFI elastography; r = 0.628, p < 0.001, for TE) and necro-inflammatory activity (r = 0.591, p < 0.001, for ARFI elastography; r = 0.616, p < 0.001, for TE). Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves for ARFI elastography and TE were 0.764 and 0.813 (p = 0.302, ≥stage 2), 0.852 and 0.852 (p = 1.000, ≥stage 3) and 0.825 and 0.799 (p = 0.655, S = 4), respectively. The optimum cutoff values for ARFI elastography were 1.63 m/s for stage ≥2, 1.74 m/s for stage ≥3 and 2.00 m/s for stage 4 in patients for whom alanine transaminase levels were evaluated. The cutoff values decreased to 1.24 m/s for ≥ stage 2, 1.32 m/s for ≥ stage 3 and 1.41 m/s for stage 4 in patients with normal alanine transaminase levels. ARFI elastography may be a reliable method for diagnosing the stage of liver fibrosis with diagnostic performance similar to that of TE in patients with chronic hepatitis B. In addition, liver stiffness values obtained with ARFI elastography, like those obtained with TE, may be influenced by alanine transaminase levels.

Controlled attenuation parameter for noninvasive assessment of hepatic steatosis using Fibroscan®: validation in chronic hepatitis B.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) using transient elastography (TE) was validated in chronic hepatitis C to evaluate hepatic steatosis; however, limited data are available on chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Therefore, we assessed the accuracy and the efficacy of CAP for the detection of steatosis in CHB. METHODS: Consecutive CHB patients underwent liver biopsy and liver stiffness measurements (LSM) with simultaneous CAP determination using the M probe of the TE. The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUROC) was used to evaluate the performance of CAP in diagnosing steatosis compared with biopsy. RESULTS: A total of 340 patients were included: 60 % were male, the median age was 37 years; the body mass index (BMI) was ≥ 28 kg/m(2) for 14 % of the subjects; and the distribution of the steatosis grade was S0 58.2 %, S1 34.2 %, S2 5.0 % and S3 2.6 %. The median (range) of CAP was 218 (100-400) dB/m, and CAP correlated with the BMI (ρ = 3.622) and steatosis grade (ρ = 29.203) according to a multivariate analysis (both P < 0.001). CAP could detect the different grades of steatosis: ≥ S1 with AUROC of 0.81 at a cutoff of 224 dB/m, ≥ S2 with AUROC of 0.90 at a cutoff of 236 dB/m and ≥ S3 with AUROC of 0.97 at a cutoff of 285 dB/m. Furthermore, the LSM and fibrosis and activity grades on biopsy did not influence the CAP performance. CONCLUSIONS: CAP presented excellent diagnostic performance for severe steatosis with high sensitivity and specificity in Chinese patients with CHB.

[Comparative study of transient elastography versus real-time tissue elastography for assessment of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic liver disease].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the abilities of transient elastography (TE) versus real-time tissue elastography (RTE) for assessing liver fibrosis in patients with chronic liver disease. METHODS: Ninetytwo patients with chronic liver disease were enrolled in the study, and included 77 cases of chronic hepatitis B, 4 cases of chronic hepatitis C, 4 cases of autoimmune liver disease, 2 cases of primary biliary cirrhosis, I case of abnormal bile duct development, and 4 cases of unknown etiology.All patients were assessed by both TE and RTE in a single day.The correlation coefficient of liver fibrosis level and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of S more than 2 and =4 of TE and RTE were determined.The values were compared using findings fiom pathological analysis as reference. RESULTS: The correlation coefficient of liver fibrosis level was significantly higher for TE (r =0.755, 95% CI:0.651-0.831, P =0.000) than for RTE (r=0.481, 95% CI:0.306-0.624, P =0.000) (Z=3.07, P =0.002).The areas under the ROC curves for S more than 2 and =4 were 0.903 and 0.740 for TE and 0.915 and 0.786 for RTE, respectively, indicating that the performance of TE was superior to that of RTE. CONCLUSION: TE was superior to RTE for assessment of liver fibrosis.