Real-time Shear Wave Elastography Imaging—research Of Liver Stiffness In Normal Children And Adolescents

Objective: Elastic modulus of liver tissue stiffness in normal children were measured using Real-time shear wave elastography(SWE),then compare the difference of elastic modulus in different ages,genders and hepatic segments,and establish the reference range of liver tissue stiffness in healthy children.Methods: A total of 243 normal children were selected in Hunan children's hospital physical examiners,and all of these were performed with SWE examination in this study.Then compare the difference of LSM(liver stiffness measurement,LSM)in different ages,genders and hepatic segments,influences of it's LSM were analyzed at the same time.Results:(1)There were 243 cases succeed in the right liver(S5)and 194 in the left liver,and sampling success rates were higher in the right compared with the left liver lobe(R:100%,L:79.83%);(2)The mean LSM in healthy individuals was(4.21±0.70)Kpa,and the liver shear modulus of normal children had a 95%confidence interval from 4.11 Kpa to 4.31Kpa;(3)Themean LSM in the S5 was(4.07±0.71)Kpa,and the LSM of normal children had a 95%confidence interval from 3.97 Kpa to 4.07 Kpa,in the S4was(4.49±0.95)Kpa and the 95%confidence interval from 4.32 Kpa to4.65Kpa;There was an interlobar difference with lower values in the S5 compared to S4(P<0.01);(4)The mean LSM tends to increased with age but without reaching significance(Pre-school period(4.10 ± 0.67)Kpa,school age period(4.19 ± 0.75)Kpa,adolescence period(4.33 ± 0.63)Kpa,P>0.05);(5)Boys showed a slightly higher SWE values than girls(male(4.30±0.69)Kpa,female(4.12±0.70)Kpa),but there was no significant difference between it(P> 0.05);(6)There was no significant difference in LSM between different height and weight(P> 0.05);(7)About 20 normal children were randomly selected to detect the LSM by two different operators in the same group,and the difference was not statistically significant(P=0.80),and the interobserver intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.92.Conclusion: LSM in normal children was not affected by gender,age,height,weight and other factors,there were differences in LSM values of different liver segments in normal children.Stiffness of liver tissue could impersonally,quantitatively and repeatedly measured by SWE.