Diagnostic accuracy of two-dimensional shear wave elastography and transient elastography in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Introduction: Two-dimensional shear wave elastography (2D-SWE) and vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE) provide noninvasive assessment of hepatic fibrosis. We compared performance of 2D-SWE and VCTE for fibrosis detection in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Methods: We performed a prospective study of adults with NAFLD who underwent 2D-SWE, VCTE, and liver biopsy analysis (using Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Clinical Research Network scoring system). The primary outcome was hepatic fibrosis (stage ⩾ 1); secondary outcomes included dichotomized fibrosis stages. Area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) analyses were used to compare 2D-SWE and VCTE performance. Results: A total of 114 adults with a median BMI of 31.2 kg/m2 were included. The VCTE was better than 2D-SWE for the detection of fibrosis (AUROC: 0.81 versus 0.72, p = 0.03). The VCTE detected fibrosis stage 2, 3, or 4 with AUROCs of 0.86 (95% CI, 0.80–0.93), 0.91 (95% CI, 0.82–0.99), and 0.96 (95% CI, 0.91–1.00). The 2D-SWE detected fibrosis stage 2, 3, or 4 with AUROCs of 0.84 (95% CI, 0.76–0.92), 0.88 (95% CI, 0.81–0.96), and 0.93 (95% CI, 0.86–0.99). Conclusion: In a prospective study including more than 100 adults with NAFLD, we found VCTE to be more accurate than 2D-SWE in detecting fibrosis; these modalities, however, are comparable in assessing for higher stages of fibrosis.