Significance of a standard deviation limit for ARFI liver fibrosis staging in patients with chronic liver disease

Purpose: Acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) elastometry is a non-invasive technique for the quantification of tissue stiffness. We evaluated the significance of a defined limit of standard deviation (SD) as a potential quality parameter for liver fibrosis staging in patients with chronic liver diseases (various aetiologies). Material and methods: 153 patients undergoing liver biopsy (inclusion criteria: at least 6 portal tracts) were investigated. ARFI measurements were performed in the right hepatic lobe, and correlated with the histopathological Ludwig fibrosis score (F0 – 4). The diagnostic accuracy was…