Comparison study of the efficacy of liver and spleen stiffness and combined model in the diagnosis of liver fibrosis / 中华放射学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To assess the performance of liver and spleen stiffness measured by MR elastography (MRE) and their combined model in diagnosing liver fibrosis.Methods:From November 2018 to November 2019, 104 patients with chronic liver disease were prospectively enrolled in Beijing Friendship Hospital, all patients underwent MRE scans. Liver and spleen stiffness were measured from MRE elastograms. Liver biopsy was used to identify fibrosis stage (F0—F4). The differences among different fibrosis stages were analyzed by one-way ANOVA or independent samples t test. The Spearman rank correlation analysis was used to evaluate the correlation with fibrosis stages. Liver and spleen stiffness combined model was established by logistic regression. The ROC curve was used to evaluate the performance of the liver, spleen stiffness and combined model in staging fibrosis (≥F1), significant fibrosis (≥F2), advanced fibrosis (≥F3), and cirrhosis (F4).The area under the ROC curve(AUC) was compared using Delong test. Results:The liver and spleen stiffness both showed significant differences among the 5 fibrosis stages ( F=64.058, 32.890, both P<0.001). The liver and spleen stiffness were positively associated with fibrosis stage ( r s=0.89, 0.69, both P<0.001). The AUC of liver stiffness in staging ≥F1, ≥F2, ≥F3 were 0. 91, 0.97, 0.93, respectively. The corresponding AUCs of the spleen stiffness were 0.81, 0.82, 0.85, respectively, which were statistically lower than those of liver stiffness ( Z=2.283, 4.085, 2.314, P=0.022,<0.001, 0.021). In diagnosing F4, the AUCs of liver and spleen stiffness were both 0.95. The AUCs of the liver and spleen combined model were 0.92, 0.97, 0.93, 0.96 in diagnosing ≥F1, ≥F2, ≥F3 and F4, with no significantly differences from liver stiffness (all P>0.05). Conclusions:The liver stiffness measured with MRE have better diagnostic performance than spleen stiffness in staging fibrosis. Parameters combined model slightly improves diagnostic value but without significant difference with liver stiffness in staging early fibrosis. Spleen stiffness evaluation is feasible in detecting cirrhosis.