Meta-analysis of Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse imaging for the staging of liver fibrosis

Purpose: Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse (ARFI) imaging is an ultrasound-based elastography method which is integrated in a conventional ultrasound machine enabling the exact localization of measurement site. A meta-analysis based on original and abstract publications was performed to evaluate the overall performance of ARFI for the diagnosis of liver fibrosis. Material and methods: Literature databases and conference abstracts were searched from January 2007 up to February 2012. Studies were included if they evaluate the performance of ARFI of the liver using liver biopsy as reference standard. A random effect…