scholarly journals Noninvasive Methods, including Transient Elastography, for the Detection of Liver Disease in Adults with Cystic Fibrosis

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 139-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew D Sadler ◽  
Pam Crotty ◽  
Linda Fatovich ◽  
Stephanie Wilson ◽  
Harvey R Rabin ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND: Liver disease is the third leading cause of mortality in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). However, detection of CF-associated liver disease (CFLD) is challenging.OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic performance of noninvasive methods for the detection of CFLD with a focus on transient elastography (TE).METHODS: Patients at the Adult CF Clinic of Calgary and Southern Alberta (n=127) underwent liver stiffness measurement (LSM) by TE using the FibroScan (FS, Ecosens, France) M probe; aspartate amino-transferase to platelet ratio index (APRI) and FibroTest (FT) scores were also calculated. The diagnostic performance of these tools for the detection of CFLD (defined as two or more the following criteria: abnormal liver biochemistry, hepatomegaly or sonographic abnormalities other than steatosis) were compared using the area under ROC curves.RESULTS: Forty-seven percent of the cohort was male. The median age was 27 years (interquartile range [IQR] 22 to 37 years) and body mass index 21 kg/m2(IQR 19 kg/m2to 23 kg/m2); 25% of patients were on ursodeoxycholic acid and 12% had undergone lung transplantation. The prevalence of CFLD was 14% (n=18). FS was successful in all patients; one (0.8%) patient had poorly reliable results (IQR/M >30% and LSM ≥7.1kPa). Compared with patients without CFLD (n=109), individuals with CFLD had higher median LSM according to FS (3.9 kPa [IQR 3.4 to 4.9 kPa] versus 6.4 kPa [IQR 4.4 to 8.0 kPa]), APRI (0.24 [IQR 0.17 to 0.31] versus 0.50 [IQR 0.22 to 1.18]) and FT scores (0.08 [IQR 0.05 to 1.5] versus 0.18 [IQR 0.11 to 0.35]; all P<0.05). Area under ROC curve for FS, APRI and FT for the detection of CFLD were 0.78 (95% CI 0.65 to 0.92), 0.72 (95% CI 0.56 to 0.87) and 0.76 (95% CI 0.62 to 0.90) (P not significant). At a threshold of >5.2 kPa, the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of LSM according to FS for detecting CFLD were 67%, 83%, 40% and 94%, respectively.CONCLUSIONS: FS, APRI and FT were useful noninvasive methods for detecting CFLD in adults.

2010 ◽  
Vol 24 (11) ◽  
pp. 661-670 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert P Myers ◽  
Magdy Elkashab ◽  
Mang Ma ◽  
Pam Crotty ◽  
Gilles Pomier-Layrargues

BACKGROUND: Liver stiffness measurement (LSM) using transient elastography (TE) is a promising tool for the noninvasive assessment of hepatic fibrosis.OBJECTIVES: To determine the feasibility and performance of TE in a North American cohort of patients with chronic liver disease.METHODS: LSMs were obtained using TE in 260 patients with chronic hepatitis B or C, or nonalcoholic fatty liver disease from four Canadian hepatology centres. The accuracy of TE compared with liver biopsy for the prediction of significant fibrosis (Metavir fibrosis score of F2 or greater), bridging fibrosis (Metavir fibrosis score of F3 or greater) and cirrhosis (Metavir fibrosis score of F4 ) was assessed using area under ROC curves (AUROCs), and compared with the aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index. The influence of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels and other factors on liver stiffness was determined using linear regression analyses.RESULTS: Failure of TE occurred in 2.7% of patients, while liver biopsies were inadequate for staging in 0.8%. Among the remaining 251 patients, the AUROCs of TE for Metavir fibrosis scores of F2 and F3 or greater, and F4 were 0.74 (95% CI 0.68 to 0.80), 0.89 (95% CI 0.84 to 0.94), and 0.94 (95% CI 0.90 to 0.97), respectively. LSM was more accurate than the aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index for bridging fibrosis (AUROC 0.78) and cirrhosis (AUROC 0.88), but not significant fibrosis (AUROC 0.76). At a cut-off of 11.1 kPa, the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values for cirrhosis (prevalence 11%) were 96%, 81%, 39% and 99%, respectively. For significant fibrosis (prevalence 53%), a cut-off of 7.7 kPa was 68% sensitive and 69% specific, and had a positive predictive value of 70% and a negative predictive value of 65%. Liver stiffness was independently associated with ALT, body mass index and steatosis. The optimal LSM cut-offs for cirrhosis were 11.1 kPa and 11.5 kPa in patients with ALT levels lower than 100 U/L and 100 U/L or greater, respectively. For fibrosis scores of F2 or greater, these figures were 7.0 kPa and 8.6 kPa, respectively.CONCLUSIONS: The major role of TE is the exclusion of bridging fibrosis and cirrhosis. However, TE cannot replace biopsy for the diagnosis of significant fibrosis. Because liver stiffness may be influenced by significant ALT elevation, body mass index and/or steatosis, tailored liver stiffness cut-offs may be necessary to account for these factors.


Ultrasound ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 262-271
Author(s):  
Cheng Fang ◽  
Sanjiv Virdee ◽  
Joseph Jacob ◽  
Olivia Rufai ◽  
Kosh Agarwal ◽  
...  

The aim of this study was to prospectively evaluate the diagnostic performance of strain elastography for the assessment of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic liver disease using Ishak (0–6) histology stage as a reference standard. Ninety-eight consecutive patients with suspected chronic liver disease scheduled for liver biopsy (n = 78) or histologically confirmed cirrhosis (n = 20) were enrolled. Liver fibrosis Index (LF Index) calculated by strain elastography, liver stiffness by transient elastography and serum fibrosis markers (aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index and King’s Score) were measured. Spearman’s correlation coefficient between the LF Index, liver stiffness, serum fibrosis markers and fibrosis stage were calculated and compared using areas under the receiver-operating characteristics (AUROCs) curves. Among 73 patients who underwent strain elastography, there was weak correlation between fibrosis stage and the LF Index (Spearman’s: ρ = 0.385 for Ishak score; P = 0.001). Among 52 patients who underwent strain elastography and transient elastography, the AUROC values using LF Index, transient elastography, aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index and King’s Score for diagnosing significant fibrosis (Ishak score ≥ 3) were 0.79, 0.87, 0.86 and 0.85, respectively ( P < 0.0001) and for diagnosing severe fibrosis/cirrhosis (Ishak score ≥ 5) were 0.83, 0.94, 0.92 and 0.92, respectively ( P < 0.0001). When comparing the diagnostic performance using LF Index, transient elastography, aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index and King’s Score, transient elastography shows a significantly higher AUROC value than LF Index in detecting severe fibrosis ( P = 0.0149). The diagnostic performance of LF Index calculated by strain elastography was not statistically significantly different to the other noninvasive tests for the assessment of significant liver fibrosis but inferior to transient elastography for the assessment of severe fibrosis/cirrhosis.


Author(s):  
Marco Delle Monache ◽  
Alessio Petrelli ◽  
Alessandra Rossi ◽  
Roberto Cecere ◽  
Concetta Mirisola ◽  
...  

Background. Noninvasive methods are useful for investigating patients with chronic HBV infection. The severity of liver disease in inactive HBsAg carriers can be noninvasively assessed by transient elastography (TE) alone or in association with biochemical markers of fibrosis. Objectives. The study evaluates the effectiveness of the TE compared to common fibrosis scores (FSs), APRI, Forns Index, and FIB4, for identifying significant fibrosis in Italian and foreigner HBsAg carriers. To investigate the risk of progression of the liver disease, liver stiffness (LS) and HBV-DNA were monitored over time. Methods. Viral load, biochemical parameters, and LS have been retrospectively evaluated in 125 putative inactive HBV carriers, who visited two outpatient departments (Colleferro Hospital and INMP) from 01/03/2014 to 31/12/2019. Differences in clinical, biochemical, and demographic variables between Italians and foreigners were analyzed. 66 of 125 patients were followed up for 24 months by monitoring liver stiffness and HBV-DNA. Results. Mean overall LS was 5.55 ± 1.92 kPa; 18 (14.4%) patients had a LS ≥7.5 kPa. Mean of APRI, Forns, and FIB4 was 0.29 ± 0.11, 4.15 ± 1.63, and 1.16 ± 0.59, respectively. FS did not differ between the patients with LS <7.5 kPa and those with LS ≥7.5 kPa. Italians displayed a significant lower ALT (0.53 ± 0.18 vs. 0.67 ± 0.33, p < 0.05 ) and AST (0.59 ± 0.16 vs. 0.70 ± 0.21, p < 0.01 ) value than foreigners. No differences in LS and HBV-DNA levels were observed. In 66 patients followed up for 24 months, HBV-DNA increased by ≥2000 UI/ml after 12 months in 15 individuals and remained ≥2000 UI/ml after 24 months in 10/15 individuals. 7/10 patients showed LS ≥ 7.5 kPa after 24 months, and 4 of them underwent antiviral therapy for HBV. Patients with HBV-DNA <2000 IU/ml had a significantly lower LS than those with HBV-DNA ≥2000 IU/ml (5.30 ± 1.43 vs. 7.69 ± 1.07, p < 0.0001 ). Conclusions. Analysis shows lower effectiveness of FS vs. TE in the assessment of putative inactive HBV carriers. Furthermore, using FibroScan® and HBV-DNA can identify “false” inactive carriers.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Megana Rao, BS ◽  
Regina Weber, BS ◽  
Naga Chalasani, MD

Background: More individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF) are living into their adulthood due to significant advances in medical care. The adult CF clinic at Indiana University cares for one of the largest adult populations with CF. Liver disease is common in children and adults with CF. However, the characteristics and consequences of CF liver disease (CFLD) in adults are not well understood. In this ongoing, IRB approved study, we systematically characterized the liver manifestations and their health related quality of life in adults with well characterized CF. Methods: Individual patient demographics and clinical data were collected for study participants. Participants completed two quality of life study questionnaires: Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire (CLDQ) and Revised Cystic Fibrosis Questionnaire (CFQ-R). 10mL of blood was collected for future research. Finally, participants underwent a bedside transient elastography via FibroScan®. Results: There were 50 patients, with a mean age of 30.9 years, enrolled in the study. Pancreatic insufficiency was the most common co-morbidity, as it affected 90% of patients. The mean AST was 23.55 units/L, mean ALT was 25.20 units/L, and mean alkaline phosphatase level was 117.73 units/L. From the FibroScan®, the median liver stiffness measurement (LSM) was 4.65 kPa and the mean controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) was 219.52 dB/M. The mean CLDQ score was 5.343. Conclusion: This ongoing study reveals that increased alkaline phosphatase and CAP scores are associated with a poor QOL. More data is needed to further understand the pathophysiology behind CFLD. Use of noninvasive imaging, noninvasive markers, and the CLDQ may aid in early identification of adult CFLD.    


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ágnes Rita Martonosi ◽  
Alexandra Soós ◽  
Zoltán Rumbus ◽  
Péter Hegyi ◽  
Vera Izsák ◽  
...  

Background and Aims: Cystic fibrosis-related liver disease (CFLD) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in cystic fibrosis (CF). Several non-invasive diagnostic methods have been proposed as screening tools for CFLD. Our aim was to rank all available non-invasive modalities for diagnostic performance.Methods: A systematic search was performed in five medical databases to find studies which reported on any single or composite non-invasive diagnostic test (as an index test) compared to the Debray, the EuroCare or the Colombo criteria (as a reference standard). Ranking was carried out with a Bayesian diagnostic test accuracy network meta-analysis based on superiority indices, calculated for pooled sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) with a 95% confidence interval (CI). The study was registered under CRD42020155846 in PROSPERO.Results: Fifteen studies with 15 index tests and a combination of them were included. The New criteria proposed by Koh et al. – which represent a composite diagnostic definition for CFLD including liver biochemistry, ultrasonography, transient elastography and fibrosis markers—had the best performance for detecting CFLD (Se:94%[CI:58–100], Sp:72%[CI:52–84]); while transient elastography (Se:65%[CI:56–74], Sp:88%[CI:84–91]) and a combination of it with a tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-4 measurement (Se:78%[CI:30–100], Sp:64%[CI:18–95%]) proved to be the second and third best options, respectively. In the imaging techniques subgroup, transient elastography (Se:66%[CI:57–72], Sp:88%[CI:85–91%]), acoustic radiation force impulse in the right lobe (Se:54%[CI:33–74], Sp:88%[CI:66–96]) and that in the left lobe (Se:55%[CI:23–81], Sp:82%[CI:50–95]) were ranked the highest. Comparing biochemical markers/fibrosis indices, the measurement of the Forns index (Se:72%[CI:25–99], Sp:63%[CI:16–94]), the aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio (Se:55%[CI:41–68], Sp:83%[CI:66–89]) and alkaline phosphatase (Se:63%[CI:18–93], Sp:64%[CI:19–95]) were ranked the highest.Conclusion: The New criteria show the best diagnostic performance. In clinical practice, transient elastography seems to be a simple, cheap and non-invasive tool, outperforming imaging, biochemical and fibrosis tests for detecting CFLD. Further studies are needed to validate our findings.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-43
Author(s):  
Gaurav Bachhav ◽  
Lokesh Locheruvapalli Venkateshappa ◽  
Balekuduru Avinash ◽  
Manjunath Patil ◽  
Satyaprakash Bonthala Subbara ◽  
...  

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common cause of chronic liver disease. Ultrasound-based transient elastography (TE) or TE of the liver is a noninvasive tool for effectively evaluating liver stiffness and fibrosis. The study aimed to compare the accuracy of TE as assessed by Fibroscan with liver biopsy in staging fibrosis in patients with NAFLD. Consecutive NAFLD patients (N = 72) were prospectively enrolled. TE evaluation was performed with Fibroscan and compared with liver biopsy, which is a reference standard. Fibrosis was staged according to the METAVIR scoring system (Meta-analysis of Histological Data in Viral Hepatitis). TE scores and biopsy-related fibrosis stages were correlated. Diagnostic accuracy (sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values) of TE was evaluated. Data were analyzed using software R v3.6.3. Liver biopsy showed that 36.11% of patients did not exhibit fibrosis, whereas 25, 16.67, 15.28, and 6.94% of patients had stage F1 (por-tal/mild fibrosis), F2 (periportal/moderate fibrosis), F3 (bridging/severe fibrosis), and F4 (cirrhosis/advanced fibrosis), respectively. TE showed that 50% of patients had cirrhosis, whereas 20.83,15.28, and 13.86% of patients had mild, moderate, and severe fibrosis, respectively. TE had 71% accuracy, 89% sensitivity, and 38% specificity in diagnosing the severity of fibrosis. Hence, it can be implemented as a noninvasive alternative diagnostic tool for understanding the severity of fibrosis in patients with NAFLD. Moreover, it can also be used for quick early diagnosis of NAFLD, reliable staging of fibrosis, and understanding the need for liver transplantation in patients with NAFLD.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Lemaitre ◽  
S. Dominique ◽  
E. Billoud ◽  
M. Eliezer ◽  
H. Montialoux ◽  
...  

Background.Cystic fibrosis-associated liver disease (CFLD) is a major cause of death. The objective of our retrospective study was to describe the relevance of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and liver stiffness measurement (LSM) for CFLD evaluation.Methods.All cystic fibrosis adult patients evaluated by MRI and LSM were included. MR signs of portal hypertension (PHT), dysmorphia, or cholangitis were collected and LSM expressed in kPa and Metavir.Results.Of 25 patients, 52% had abnormal MRI. Median LSM was 5.7 kPa (3.4–9.9). Three patients had F2 score and one had F3 score. In patients with PHT, LSM was 7.85 kPa (3.7–9.9) compared to 5 (3.4–7.5) in others,p=0.02. In patients with abnormal liver function tests, 50% had increased LSM (≥F2), whereas 94% with normal tests had normal LSM (p=0.04). Seven patients had abnormal MRI despite normal ultrasonography.Conclusions.MRI and LSM provide useful information on CFLD and may help to screen patients with PHT.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 37-38
Author(s):  
A Zoughlami ◽  
J Serero ◽  
G Sebastiani ◽  
M Deschenes ◽  
P Wong ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Patients with compensated advanced chronic liver disease (cACLD) are at higher risk of developing complications from portal hypertension, including esophageal varices (EV). Baveno VI and expanded Baveno VI criteria, based on liver stiffness measurement (LSM) by transient elastography combined with platelet count, have been proposed to avoid unnecessary esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) screening for large esophageal varices needing treatment (EVNT). This approach has not been validated in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, who have etiology-specific cut-off of LSM for liver fibrosis. Aims We aimed to validate the Baveno VI and expanded Baveno VI criteria for EVNT in HBV patients with cACLD. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of HBV patients who underwent LSM in 2014–2020. Inclusion criteria were: a) diagnosis of cACLD, defined as LSM &gt;9 kPa; b) availability of EGD and platelets within 1 year of LSM. Baveno VI (LSM &lt;20 kPa and platelets &gt;150,000) and expanded Baveno VI criteria (LSM &lt;25 kPa and platelets &gt;110,000) were tested for EGD sparing. Diagnostic performance of these criteria against gold standard (EGD) was computed and compared to patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) etiologies, where these criteria have been widely validated. In these patients, the threshold for cACLD definition was &gt;10 kPa. Results A total of 287 patients (mean age 56, 95% Child A) were included, comprising of 43 HBV (58% on antiviral therapy), 134 HCV and 110 NASH patients. The prevalence of any grade EV and EVNT was 25% and 8% in the whole cohort, with 19% and 5% in HBV patients, respectively. Table 1 reports diagnostic performance, spared EGD and missed EVNT according to non-invasive criteria and cACLD etiology. Both Baveno VI and expanded Baveno VI criteria performed well in patients with HBV-related cACLD. There was no significant difference on diagnostic performance of these non-invasive criteria across the cACLD etiologies. Conclusions These results support use of non-invasive criteria based on LSM and platelets to spare unnecessary EGD in patients with HBV and cACLD. Baveno VI and expanded Baveno VI criteria can improve resource utilization and avoid invasive testing in context of screening EGD for patients with HBV-related cACLD. Funding Agencies None


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