Principles and clinical application of ultrasound elastography for diffuse liver disease

• DOI: 10.14366/usg.14003
• Publication Date: 2014-03-24T06:48:12Z
• Authors: Woo Kyoung Jeong; Hyo K. Lim; Hyoung-Ki Lee; Jae Moon Jo; Yongsoo Kim
• Keywords: Transient elastography; Chronic liver disease; Hepatic fibrosis; Ultrasound Elastography; Liver disease

Accurate assessment of the degree liver fibrosis is important for estimating prognosis and deciding on an appropriate course treatment cases chronic disease (CLD) with various etiologies. Because inherent limitations biopsy, there a great need non-invasive reliable tests that accurately estimate fibrosis. Ultrasound (US) elastography considered non-invasive, convenient, precise technique to grade by measuring stiffness. There are several commercial types US currently in use, namely, transient elastography, acoustic radiation force impulse imaging, supersonic shear-wave real-time tissue elastography. Although low reproducibility measurements derived from operator-dependent performance remains significant limitation this nevertheless useful diagnosing hepatic patients CLD. Likewise, may also be used as convenient surveillance method can performed physicians at patients' bedside enable estimation fatal complications related CLD manner.