Background and aim: For several years there has been an increasing interest for the non-invasive assessment of LS by elastographic methods. The aim of our study was to determine if the experience gained in liver stiffness (LS) measurements by means of 2D-SWE has an impact on the feasibility of this ultrasound based elastographic technique.
Methods: The study included 300 consecutive subjects, 57% men and 43% women, with a median age of 57 years (ranging between 20-82 years), with or without liver disease; in each case the LS was evaluated by means of 2D-SWE (SuperSonic Imaging-SSI). Reliable LS measurements by means of 2D-SWE were defined as the median value of 5 LS measurements expressed in kilopascals (kPa). We compared the first 150 LS measurements performed by one operator (study group I) with the next 150 LS measurements by the same operator (study group II).
Results: In the study group I a lower rate of reliable measurements was observed as compared to study group II: 76.6% vs. 92.6% (p=0.0002). In both study groups, patients with a normal BMI (<25
kg/m2) had a similar rate of reliable measurements: 89.7% vs. 94% (p=0.7). In overweight (BMI 25.1 – 29.9 kg/m2) and obese patients (BMI ≥30 kg/m2) the rate of reliable LS measurements increased with experience: 73.4% vs. 95% (p=0.01) and 70.2% vs. 89.4% (p=0.02), respectively.
Conclusion: The rate of reliable LS measurements by means of 2D-SWE increases with the experience accumulated by the operator.
