ACOUSTIC RADIATION FORCE IMPULSE IS EQUIVALENT TO LIVER BIOPSY TO EVALUATE LIVER FIBROSIS IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC HEPATITIS C AND NONALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE

• Published in: Arquivos de gastroenterologia Vol. 52; no. 3; pp. 234 - 238
• Main Authors: Guerra, Juliana Ayres de Alencar Arrais, Trippia, Marcus, Pissaia, Alcindo, Teixeira, Bernardo Corrêa de Almeida, Ivantes, Cláudia Alexandra Pontes
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Brazil Instituto Brasileiro de Estudos e Pesquisas de Gastroenterologia e Outras Especialidades - IBEPEGE 01-09-2015; Instituto Brasileiro de Estudos e Pesquisas de Gastroenterologia (IBEPEGE)
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Biopsy; Cirrose hepática; Elasticity Imaging Techniques - methods; Female; GASTROENTEROLOGY & HEPATOLOGY; Hepatite C Crônica; Hepatitis C, Chronic - complications; Hepatopatia gordurosa não alcoólica; Humans; Liver Cirrhosis - diagnostic imaging; Liver Cirrhosis - etiology; Liver Cirrhosis - pathology; Male; Middle Aged; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease - complications; Sensitivity and Specificity; Técnicas de imagem por elasticidade; Young Adult; Hepatopatia gordurosa não alcoólica; Chronic hepatitis C; Elasticity imaging techniques; Técnicas de imagem por elasticidade; Hepatite C Crônica; Liver Cirrhosis; Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; Cirrose hepática
• ISSN: 0004-2803; 1678-4219; 1678-4219; 0004-2803
• DOI: 10.1590/S0004-28032015000300015

Liver biopsy is recommended as the gold standard method for assessing the stage of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic liver disease. However, it is invasive, with potential risks and complications. Elastography is an ultrasound technique that provides information of changes in the liver tissue, evaluating tissue elasticity and acoustic radiation force impulse is one of the available techniques.
The main objective of this study was to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of acoustic radiation force impulse comparing to liver biopsy to evaluate fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
Twenty four patients were included, everyone underwent liver biopsy and acoustic radiation force impulse, and the results were compared with values described in the literature by several authors.
In the population of patients with chronic hepatitis C, our data were better correlated with data published by Carmen Fierbinteanu-Braticevici et al., with an accuracy of 82.4%, sensitivity of 71.4% and specificity of 90%. For nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, our data were better correlated with data published by Masato Yoneda et al., with an accuracy of 85.7%, sensitivity 80% and specificity of 100%.
Acoustic radiation force impulse is a method with good accuracy to distinguish initial fibrosis from advanced fibrosis in hepatitis C virus and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and can replace biopsy in most cases.