Gravity assistance enables liver stiffness measurements to detect liver fibrosis under congestive circumstances

Figure 4 Fibrous progression of the liver was suggested in the soften group. Fibrosis-4 (FIB4, top panel) and its constituent of platelet counts (bottom panel) were compared among 3 groups in which two-dimensional shear wave elastography (2dSWE) values increased or decreased in association with changing body positions beyond the magnitude of robust coefficient of variation; normal in the supine position (Normal-to-Hard: NH), abnormal and increased (Hard-to-Hard: HH) or decreased (Hard-to-Soft: HS) in the left decubitus position. The group was classified based on the difference in 2dSWE values in the entire liver (left column) or each lobe of right (middle column) or left (right column). A significant difference in FIB4 (entire: P = 0.04, 1.29 ± 0.87 vs 1.89 ± 1.16, right: P = 0.006, 1.29 ± 0.87 vs 2.12 ± 1.22, left: P = 0.01, 1.29 ± 0.87 vs 1.91 ± 1.07) and platelet counts (entire: P = 0.29, 25.7 ± 7.6 vs 22.1 ± 7.7 x10⁴/mm³, right: P = 0.05, 25.7 ± 7.6 vs 20.2 ± 5.7 x10⁴/mm³, left: P = 0.05, 25.7 ± 7.6 vs 21.0 ± 7.3 x10⁴/mm³) was observed between Normal-to-Hard and Hard-to-Soft. The probabilities were higher when the group was determined in each lobe. The horizontal bars in each plot indicate an average (“Bold”) and standard deviation. HH: Hard-to-Hard; NH: Normal-to-Hard; HS: Hard-to-Soft.