Aim: To determine whether acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) elastography is a reliable method for predicting fibrosis severity in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) hepatitis.
Methods: We performed a multicenter study including 274 subjects with HCV chronic hepatitis in which we compared ARFI with liver biopsy (LB). In each patient we performed LB (evaluated according to the Metavir score) and ARFI measurements (using a Siemens Acuson S2000™ ultrasound system: 10 valid measurements were performed and median values were calculated and expressed in meters/second (m/s).
Results: A direct, strong, correlation (Spearman r = 0.707) was found between ARFI measurements and fibrosis (P < 0.0001). For predicting the presence of fibrosis (F ≥ 1 Metavir), significant fibrosis (F ≥ 2), severe fibrosis (F ≥ 3) and cirrhosis (F = 4), the cut-off values of 1.19, 1.21, 1.58 and 1.82 m/s were determined, respectively, liver stiffness measurements had 73%, 84%, 84% and 91% Se respectively; 93%, 91%, 94%, 90% Sp, respectively; with AUROCs of 0.880, 0.893, 0.908 and 0.937, respectively.
Conclusion: ARFI measurement is a reliable method for predicting the severity of fibrosis in HCV patients.
Keywords: Acoustic radiation force impulse elastography; Chronic HCV hepatitis; Cirrhosis; Liver fibrosis; Liver stiffness.