Ultrasonic assessment of liver stiffness and carotid artery elasticity in patients with chronic viral hepatitis

Abstract

BackgroundThis study investigated the relationship between liver stiffness and carotid artery elasticity in patients with chronic viral hepatitis. We used an acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) technique to measure stiffness, and a radio frequency (RF) vascular quantitative ultrasound technique to measure changes in common carotid artery elasticity and vascular function.MethodsTwo-hundred seventeen patients with chronic viral hepatitis caused by either hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) were enrolled. We divided the patients into two groups, one comprising 147 patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) (98 men and 49 women, average age 46.5 ± 12.2 years) and another comprising 70 patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) (47 men and 23 women, average age 47.6 ± 12.1 years). Additionally, 64 healthy age- and sex-matched participants (43 men and 21 women, average age 47.8 ± 5.1 years) were selected as the control group. The ARFI technique was used to measure liver stiffness and the RF ultrasound technique was used to measure carotid artery elasticity parameters including intima-media thickness (IMT), pulse wave velocity (PWV), arterial wall dilation coefficient (DC), compliance coefficient (CC), sclerosis indices α and β, and augmentation index (Aix). Clinical indicators, liver stiffness, and carotid artery elasticity parameters were observed and compared between the different age groups to investigate the correlation between carotid artery elasticity parameters and liver stiffness.ResultsThe ARFI values for the CHB and CHC groups were significantly higher than those for the control group (1.84 ± 0.52 vs. 1.04 ± 0.11 m/s; 1.86 ± 0.37 vs. 1.04 ± 0.11 m/s, respectively; P < 0.001). When compared to the control group, both CHB and CHC groups showed an IMT of the same order, but had significantly higher elasticity parameters, such as α and β, as well as lower DC and CC values (P < 0.001). The PWV of the CHC group was significantly higher than that of the control group (7.98 ± 1.42 vs. 6.09 ± 0.90 m/s, P < 0.001). In the CHB group, all parameters including ARFI, IMT, PWV, DC, CC, α and β, were significantly different between the two age groups (P < 0.05). Within the CHC group, all parameters including IMT, PWV, DC, α and β, were significantly different between the two age groups (P < 0.05), except for ARFI, wherein the difference was not statistically significant. The correlation analysis and stepwise multiple linear regression analysis indicated that for patients with CHB, age was an independent predictor of common carotid artery IMT (R2 = 0.468, F = 54.635, and P < 0.001). For patients with CHC, age and blood sugar were independent predictors of common carotid artery IMT (R2 = 0.465, F = 29.118, and P < 0.001).ConclusionAlthough based on ARFI and RF ultrasound, the carotid artery IMT in patients with CHB and CHC was not significantly higher than that in the control group, their functional elasticity parameters had already changed. This finding serves as a useful reference for the clinical diagnosis of v...

Early diagnostic value of liver stiffness measurement in hepatic sinusoidal obstruction syndrome induced by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

“…Elastography has been widely used to determine liver hardness in recent years, and it can effectively detect liver fibrosis and cirrhosis[ 75 , 76 ]. Liver stiffness measurement (LSM) includes transient elastic imaging, point shear waves with acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI), and two-dimensional real-time shear wave elastography (2D-SWE)[ 77 , 78 ].…”

Preliminary study of carotid variables under ultrasound analysis as predictors for the risk of coronary arterial atherosclerosis

“…Ultrasound RF data technology is a newly developed method for quantitative evaluating IMT and arterial stiffness structurally and functionally based on the monitoring of RF signals transmitted by ultrasound with good reproducibility and much higher accuracy 5–8 . Reports on the relationship between large arterial structures and elastic indexes in cardiovascular (CV) events indicate the possibility of early detection of CAD noninvasively 5,9,10 .…”

“…[1][2][3][4] Ultrasound RF data technology is a newly developed method for quantitative evaluating IMT and arterial stiffness structurally and functionally based on the monitoring of RF signals transmitted by ultrasound with good reproducibility and much higher accuracy. [5][6][7][8] Reports on the relationship between large arterial structures and elastic indexes in cardiovascular (CV) events indicate the possibility of early detection of CAD noninvasively. 5,9,10 In the present study, we adapted this method for analyzing carotid artery with the aim of assessing the relationship of carotid arterial wall changes with coronary atherosclerotic severity in patients with CAD who were verified by coronary angiography.…”