Comparison of Transient Elastography and Point Shear Wave Elastography for Analysis of Liver Stiffness: A Prospective Study

Abstract

Liver stiffness measurement (LSM) by Fibroscan is the most used non-invasive method to assess liver fibrosis. Recently, point-shear wave elastography (pSWE) has been introduced as a simple alternative non-invasive test. Therefore, we aimed to compare the results of these two techniques. One hundred and eighty-four consecutive patients attending our outpatient ultrasound clinic were recruited. LSM was performed by both Fibroscan and pSWE. Statistical analysis was conducted by Spearman’s test for correlation and linear regression. Bland–Altman graphs and ROC curves were drawn with area under the curve (AUC). Overall, the correlation of LS between Fibroscan and pSWE was substantial (r = 0.68, p < 0.001). Linear regression showed a coefficient b= 0.94 ± 0.02. The Bland–Altman plot found a bias of −0.10, with only 11 values exceeding the 95% confidence interval. When only considering patients with a LSM of > 10 kPa (n = 31), we found an excellent r = 0.79 (0.60–0.90, p < 0.001). A cutoff of 12.15 kPa for pSWE had sensitivity = 74.2% and specificity = 99.3% to detect relevant fibrosis, with an AUC = 0.98. The highest correlation was observed for hepatitis C (r = 0.91) and alcoholic liver disease (ALD)(r = 0.99). In conclusion, pSWE shows LSM estimation in agreement with Fibroscan in most cases, and the best concordance was observed for hepatitis C and ALD, and for higher ranges of LS.