BJR
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
British Journal of Radiology (2005) 78, 189-197
© 2005 British Institute of Radiology
doi: 10.1259/bjr/75208448
This Article
Right arrow Figures Only
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Nishiura, T
Right arrow Articles by Ishibashi, H
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Nishiura, T
Right arrow Articles by Ishibashi, H

Full Paper

Ultrasound evaluation of the fibrosis stage in chronic liver disease by the simultaneous use of low and high frequency probes

T Nishiura, RMS1, H Watanabe, RMS1, M Ito, MD1,2, Y Matsuoka, MD3, K Yano, MD4, M Daikoku, MD4, H Yatsuhashi, MD4, K Dohmen, MD, FACP, SJSUM4 and H Ishibashi, MD, FACP, SJSUM4

1 Clinical Laboratory, 2 Department of Pathology, 3 Deartment of Radiology and 4 Clinical Research Centre, NHO National Nagasaki Medical Centre, Omura, Nagasaki, 856-8562 Japan

Correspondence: Dr Koji Yano, Clinical Research Centre, NHO National Nagasaki Medical Centre, Kubara 2-1001-1 Omura, Nagasaki 856-8562 Japan

A liver biopsy is currently considered the definitive diagnostic modality for establishing the severity of hepatic fibrosis. We analysed the diagnostic sensitivity and accuracy of ultrasound (US) using both low frequency and high frequency probes as a repeatable, inexpensive, and reliable method to determine the fibrosis stage in chronic liver disease and then compared our results with the histological findings. A total of 103 patients with chronic liver disease (60 males and 43 females, average age 51 years old) who had undergone both a liver biopsy and US with 2–5 MHz frequency and 5–12 MHz frequency probes were prospectively evaluated in this study. An US scoring system using both the low frequency and high frequency probes was performed by evaluating the edge, surface and parenchymal texture of the liver. Each score was obtained by evaluating three parameters; the bluntness of the liver edge, the irregularity of the surface and the coarseness of the parenchymal texture were evaluated and then compared with the histological findings. The US scores of the liver edge (rs: 0.6668), liver surface (rs: 0.9007) and liver parenchymal texture (rs: 0.8853) correlated significantly with the fibrosis stage obtained based on the biopsy findings. The accumulated US scores of these three parameters, however, was found to be the most reliable indicator (rs: 0.9524). Patients with an accumulated score of 6.5 or more were all found to have fibrosis stage 4 in which the accuracy of our scoring system for correctly predicting cirrhosis was found to be 100% sensitive. When an accumulated US score of 3 was interpreted to indicate mild fibrosis (a fibrosis score of 0 or 1), all 42 patients with stage 0 or 1 fibrosis were found to have an accumulated US score of 3 or less (a probability of 100%) and 42 of 53 patients with a score of 3 or less were found to have stage 0 or 1 fibrosis (specificity of 79.2%). An ultrasound evaluation of the liver fibrosis stage based on the scoring system using both low and high frequency probes was found to be a reliable and effective alternative to the histological staging in chronic liver diseases.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Br. J. Radiol.Home page
BJR Review of the Year - 2005.
Br. J. Radiol., March 1, 2006; 79(939): 183 - 187.
[Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
BJR DMFR IMAGING  ALL BIR JOURNALS 
Copyright © 2005 by the British Institute of Radiology.