Shear Wave Dispersion in Chronic Liver Disease: From Physical Principles to Clinical Usefulness

Abstract

The development of new applications in ultrasound (US) imaging in recent years has strengthened the role of this imaging technique in the management of different pathologies, particularly in the setting of liver disease. Improved B-mode imaging (3D and 4D), contrast-enhanced US (CEUS) and especially US-based elastography techniques have created the concept of multiparametric ultrasound (MP-US), a term borrowed from radiological sectional imaging. Among the new elastography techniques, shear wave dispersion is a newly developed imaging technology which enables the assessment of the shear waves’ dispersion slope. The analysis of the dispersion qualities of shear waves might be indirectly related to the tissue viscosity, thus providing biomechanical information concerning the pathologic state of the liver such as necroinflammation. Some of the most recent US devices have been embedded with software that evaluate the dispersion of shear waves/liver viscosity. In this review, the feasibility and the clinical applications of liver viscosity are reviewed based on the preliminary findings of both animal and human studies.

Current Developments and Role of Intestinal Ultrasound including the Advent of AI

“…On the other hand, the combined evaluation of shear-wave dispersion (SWD), used for the first time as a marker of inflammation, mirroring the approach used in hepatic shear-wave studies is enticing. Indeed, examining the dispersion characteristics of shear waves may indirectly offer insights into tissue viscosity, thereby providing biomechanical information regarding the pathological condition of the liver, such as necroinflammation [35].…”

Towards Personalized Medicine for Chronic Liver Disease

“…Analyzing the dispersion characteristics of shear waves can indirectly provide information about tissue viscosity, thus offering biomechanical insights into hepatic pathology, e.g., necroinflammation. In the Special Issue, Garcovich et al [6] reviewed the feasibility of liver viscosity based on the preliminary findings of both animal and human studies.…”