Evaluation of shearwave elastography for the characterisation of focal liver lesions on ultrasound.

Abstract

To determine the elasticity characteristics of focal liver lesions (FLLs) by shearwave elastography (SWE). We used SWE in 108 patients with 161 FLLs and in the adjacent liver for quantitative and qualitative FLLs stiffness assessment. The Mann-Whitney test was used to assess the difference between the groups of lesions where a P value less than 0.05 was considered significant. SWE acquisitions failed in 22 nodules (14 %) in 13 patients. For the 139 lesions successfully evaluated, SWE values were (in kPa), for the 3 focal fatty sparings (FFS) 6.6 ± 0.3, for the 10 adenomas 9.4 ± 4.3, for the 22 haemangiomas 13.8 ± -5.5, for the 16 focal nodular hyperplasias (FNHs) 33 ± -14.7, for the 2 scars 53.7 ± 4.7, for the 26 HCCs 14.86 ± 10, for the 53 metastasis 28.8 ± 16, and for the 7 cholangiocarcinomas 56.9 ± 25.6. FNHs had significant differences in stiffness compared with adenomas (P = 0.0002). Fifty percent of the FNHs had a radial pattern of elevated elasticity. A significant difference was also found between HCCs and cholangiocarcinomas elasticity (P = 0.0004). SWE could be useful in differentiating FNHs and adenomas, or HCCs and cholangiocarcinomas by ultrasound.