Liver Ultrasound Elastography: An Update to the World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology Guidelines and Recommendations

Giovanna Ferraioli; Vincent Wai-Sun Wong; Laurent Castera; Annalisa Berzigotti; Ioan Sporea; Christoph F Dietrich; Byung Ihn Choi; Stephanie R Wilson; Masatoshi Kudo; Richard G Barr

doi:10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2018.07.008

Liver Ultrasound Elastography: An Update to the World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology Guidelines and Recommendations

Ultrasound Med Biol. 2018 Dec;44(12):2419-2440. doi: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2018.07.008. Epub 2018 Sep 9.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Ultrasound Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences and Infectious Diseases, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, School of Medicine, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
² Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
³ Service d'Hepatologie, Hopital Beaujon, Clichy, Assistance Publique-Hopitaux de Paris, INSERM UMR 1149 CRI, Universite Denis Diderot Paris-VII, Paris, France.
⁴ Swiss Liver Center, Hepatology, University Clinic for Visceral Surgery and Medicine, Inselspital, University of Bern, Switzerland.
⁵ Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara, Romania.
⁶ Medizinische Klinik 2, Caritas-Krankenhaus, Bad Mergentheim, Germany.
⁷ Department of Radiology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea.
⁸ Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Foothills Medical Centre, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
⁹ Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Kindai University School of Medicine, Osaka Sayama, Japan.
¹⁰ Department of Radiology, Northeastern Ohio Medical University and Southwoods Imaging, Youngstown, Ohio, USA. Electronic address: rgbarr@zoominternet.net.

PMID: 30209008
DOI: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2018.07.008

Abstract

The World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology has produced these guidelines for the use of elastography techniques in liver diseases. For each available technique, the reproducibility, results and limitations are analyzed, and recommendations are given. This set of guidelines updates the first version, published in 2015. Since the prior guidelines, there have been several advances in technology. The recommendations are based on the international published literature, and the strength of each recommendation is judged according to the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine. The document has a clinical perspective and is aimed at assessing the usefulness of elastography in the management of liver diseases.

Keywords: Acoustic radiation force impulse; Elastography; Focal liver lesions; Liver; Liver diseases; Liver fibrosis; Liver stiffness; Portal hypertension; Shear wave elastography; Strain elastography; Transient elastography; Ultrasound; World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology guidelines.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Elasticity Imaging Techniques / methods*
Humans
Internationality
Liver / diagnostic imaging
Liver Diseases / diagnostic imaging*
Practice Guidelines as Topic*
Reproducibility of Results
Societies, Medical