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Abstract
The ultrasound elastography has more and more clinical applications, providing information related to the elasticity/stiffness of the examined-tissue. The aim of this paper was to assess the elastography performance for real-time ARFI in evaluating the liver fibrosis in children with malignancies, after-chemotherapy, compared with chronical liver diseases.
Material and Methods A prospective study was performed in Pediatric Clinic Ist Tg.-Mures, Romania, 2010, September 15th-2011, September 15th, on 153 hospitalized children - 58 children with malignancies, 28 with liver diseases, 20 obese children and a control-group - 47 children. The liver tissue elasticity has been evaluated (Shear Wave Velocity, SWV) as well as some paraclinical parameters; statistical correlations were established.
Results and discussion Comparing the values of transaminasis, statistically significant differences were found between children with liver diseases and control-group regarding aspartate-aminotransferase, AST and alanine-aminotransferase, ALT.SWV was measured globally and separately for the liver-segments 1 and 8. In normal conditions in the 1st-segment SWV values were smaller than in 8th-segment (p=0.02). In the group of obese children the SWV values were statistically significant bigger than in controls, the liver steatosis being correlated with bigger values of SWV. Positive statistical correlations have been established between AST and SWV in the group of obese chidren and after-chemotherapy.
Conclusions ARFI allows SWV quantification of the SWV in strong correlation with the fibrosis stage, the hepatic steatosis and the liver changes after chemotherapy.
“This paper is partially supported by the Sectoral Operational Programme Human Resources Development, financed from the European Social Fund and by the Romanian Government under the contract number POSDRU/89/1.5/S/60782”.