Published online Jul 27, 2024. doi: 10.4254/wjh.v16.i7.1018
Revised: May 27, 2024
Accepted: June 27, 2024
Published online: July 27, 2024
Processing time: 124 Days and 23 Hours
Liver condition is a crucial prognostic factor for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but a convenient and comprehensive method to assess liver condition is lacking. Liver stiffness (LS) measured by two-dimensional shear wave elastography may help in assessing liver fibrosis and liver condition. Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is an important risk factor for HCC progression, but LS was found to be less reliable in assessing liver fibrosis following hepatitis viral eradication. We hypothesize that the status of hepatitis virus infection would affect the accuracy of LS in assessing the liver condition.
To test the feasibility and impact factors of using LS to assess liver condition in patients with HCC and CHB.
A total of 284 patients were retrospectively recruited and classified into two groups on the basis of serum CHB virus hepatitis B virus (HBV)-DNA levels [HBV-DNA ≥ 100.00 IU/mL as Pos group (n = 200) and < 100.00 IU/mL as Neg group (n = 84)]. Correlation analyses and receiver operating characteristic analyses were conducted to evaluate the relationship between LS and liver condition.
A significant correlation was found between LS and most of the parameters considered to have the ability to evaluate liver condition (P < 0.05). When alanine aminotransferase (ALT) concentrations were normal (≤ 40 U/L), LS was correlated with liver condition indices (P < 0.05), but the optimal cutoff of LS to identify a Child-Pugh score of 5 was higher in the Neg group (9.30 kPa) than the Pos group (7.40 kPa). When ALT levels were elevated (> 40 U/L), the correlations between LS and liver condition indices were not significant (P > 0.05).
LS was significantly correlated with most liver condition indices in patients with CHB and HCC. However, these correlations varied according to differences in HBV-DNA and transaminase concentrations.
Core Tip: Liver stiffness measurement by two-dimensional shear wave elastography was significantly correlated with most liver condition indices in patients with chronic hepatitis B and hepatocellular carcinoma, but these correlations varied according to differences in hepatitis virus DNA and transaminase concentrations.