Role of Ultrasound Elastography in the Evaluation of Pediatric Chronic Liver Disease

Hussain, Mostafa Thabet; Abdelnaem, Mostafa Khalaf Mohamed; Omar, Mohammad Koriem Mahmoud

doi:10.21608/jcmrp.2025.415975

Role of Ultrasound Elastography in the Evaluation of Pediatric Chronic Liver Disease

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Diagnostic Radiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.

10.21608/jcmrp.2025.415975

Abstract

Abstract
Background and Aim of the Work: Conventional ultrasonography is non-invasive, affordable, practical, and readily available; thus, it is the method for investigating chronic liver disorders in pediatric populations. This research aims to demonstrate the diagnostic role of Share-wave Elastography (SWE) in pediatric chronic liver diseases (CLD).
Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional descriptive study included all children who attended the Radiology Department at Assiut University Hospital from June 2022 to July 2023.
Results: The study included 71 children (58 have clinical, laboratory, or histo-pathological evidence of chronic liver disease, had undergone liver biopsy, and had their pathology results, and 13 age and sex-matched controls). 2D-SWE helped distinguish severe fibrosis from mild fibrosis. The diagnostic performance of 2D-SWE for liver fibrosis prediction was also evaluated using the ROC curve analysis. At a cutoff value of > 7.8Kpa, the areas under the ROC curves (AUC) were 92.7% (95%CI: 0.859 – 0.995, P < 0.001) with a sensitivity of 90.6%, specificity of 84.6%, and accuracy of 87.9% for prediction of liver fibrosis ≥ F2 on liver biopsy. At a cutoff value of > 8.8Kpa, the AUC=90.4% (95%CI: 0.818 – 0.991, P < 0.001) with a sensitivity of 83.3%, specificity of 91.2%, and accuracy of 86.2% for prediction of liver fibrosis ≥ F3 on liver biopsy.
Conclusion: 2D-SWE could be used to assess pediatric patients' liver fibrosis, as it may help in the early detection and monitoring of liver fibrosis in this pediatric population.

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