Accuracy of 2D shear wave elastography in the diagnosis of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

PURPOSE: This prospective study was conducted to assess the diagnostic accuracy of two-dimensional shear wave elastography (2D SWE) in the diagnosis of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic liver disease and hepatitis C virus (HCV) compared with the serum liver fibrosis biomarkers using the results of liver biopsy as the reference standard.

METHODS: We analyzed 233 consecutive HCV patients. On the same day, 2D SWE m, biochemical tests, and liver biopsy were performed. We used the METAVIR staging system and receiver operating characteristic curves for the analysis.

RESULTS: The success rate of 2D-SWE was 98.7%. The median shear wave velocities (SWVs) of patients in the F0, F1, F2, F3, and F4 stages were 1.35 m/s, 1.42 m/s, 1.58 m/s, 1.83 m/s, and 2.13 m/s, respectively, demonstrating a stepwise increase (P < .0001). The accuracy of 2D-SWE in the prediction of ≥F1, ≥F2, ≥F3, and F4 was .888 (95% CI: .85-.93), .915 (95% CI: .88-095), .940 (95% CI: .91-.97), and .949 (95% CI: .92-.97), respectively. 2D-SWE was significantly superior to serum liver fibrosis biomarkers.

CONCLUSION: 2D-SWE was positively correlated with the severity of liver fibrosis and was more useful for to predict all liver fibrosis grades in HCV patients than liver fibrosis biomarkers.