ShearWave Elastography predicts mortality in chronic liver disease

Liver stiffness measured by 2D ShearWave Elastography demonstrated significant predictive value in the progression of chronic liver disease including associated complications and mortality, according to a press release from SuperSonic Imagine and a poster presented at the International Liver Congress 2019.

ShearWave Elastography (SWE) provides a quantitative color-coded map that visualizes and quantifies tissue stiffness during examination displayed in kilopascals.

“Recognizing the high diagnostic value of its biomarker in the prediction of survival, SuperSonic Imagine has taken a new step towards earlier and better-adapted patient management,” Michèle Lesieur, CEO of SuperSonic Imagine, said in the release. “This study not only confirms the expertise of SuperSonic Imagine in the evaluation of liver disease, but also the diagnostic benefits of its ultrasound innovations. To date, over 160 clinical articles have been published on the use of ShearWave Elastography in patients with liver disease.”

The multicenter study comprised 1,434 patients with chronic liver disease without decompensation. The AUC of SWE for mortality within 24 months was 0.815 (95% CI, 0.773-0.857) with a cut-off of 20.6 kPa (sensitivity, 76%; specificity, 80%).

Multivariate analysis revealed that a measurement less than 20.6 kPa correlated independently with overall mortality (HR = 2.17; 95% CI, 0.99-4.76), besides albumin (HR = 0.93; 95% CI, 0.89-0.978), MELD (HR = 1.08; 95% CI, 1.013-1.146) and age (HR = 1.01; 95% CI, 1.007-1.065).

“As a hepatologist, I can say that the number of patients with chronic liver disease is constantly increasing, and that it’s becoming ever more vital for physicians, radiologists and hepatologists, to have reliable tools such as SWE to address this major public health problem in the most effective way,” Jonel Trebicka, MD, PhD, from the University Clinic of Frankfurt in Germany, and lead study author, said in the release. “This study has allowed us to establish a new threshold value to help predict outcomes for each patient. Patients reaching more than 20.6 kPa are at two-fold higher risk of death within one year. This is important because it can be used as a biomarker to stratify care in patients with cirrhosis.”

Reference: www.supersonicimagine.com