Test-retest repeatability of ultrasonographic shear wave elastography in a rat liver fibrosis model: toward a quantitative biomarker for preclinical trials
- Authors
- Shin, Youngbin; Huh, Jimi; Ham, Su Jung; Cho, Young Chul; Choi, Yoonseok; Woo, Dong-Cheol; Lee, Jeongjin; Kim, Kyung Won
- Issue Date
- Jan-2021
- Publisher
- KOREAN SOC ULTRASOUND MEDICINE
- Keywords
- Shear wave elastography; Ultrasound; Liver fibrosis; Liver stiffness; Repeatability
- Citation
- ULTRASONOGRAPHY, v.40, no.1, pp.126 - 135
- Journal Title
- ULTRASONOGRAPHY
- Volume
- 40
- Number
- 1
- Start Page
- 126
- End Page
- 135
- URI
- http://scholarworks.bwise.kr/ssu/handle/2018.sw.ssu/40293
- DOI
- 10.14366/usg.19088
- ISSN
- 2288-5919
- Abstract
- Purpose: This study evaluated the test-retest repeatability and measurement variability of ultrasonographic shear wave elastography (SWE) for liver stiffness in a rat liver fibrosis model. Methods: In 31 Sprague-Dawley rats divided into three groups (high-dose, low- dose, and control), liver fibrosis was induced by intraperitoneal administration of thioacetamide for 8 weeks. A dedicated radiographer performed SWE to measure liver stiffness in kilopascals in two sessions at a 3-day interval. We calculated correlations between liver stiffness and histopathologic results, measurement variability in each session using coefficients of variation (CoVs) and interquartile/median (IQR/M), and test-retest repeatability between both sessions using the repeatability coefficient. Results: Different levels of liver fibrosis in each group were successfully induced in the animal model. The mean liver stiffness values were 8.88 +/- 1.48 kPa in the control group, 11.62 +/- 1.70 kPa in the low-dose group, and 11.91 +/- 1.73 kPa in the high-dose group. The correlation between collagen areas and liver stiffness values was moderate (r=0.6). In all groups, the second session yielded lower CoVs (i.e., more reliable results) for liver stiffness than the first session, suggesting a training effect for the operator. The mean IQR/M values were also lower in the second session than in the first session, which had four outliers (0.21 vs. 0.12, P<0.001). The test-retest repeatability coefficient was 3.75 kPa and decreased to 2.82 kPa after removing the four outliers. Conclusion: The use of ultrasonographic SWE was confirmed to be feasible and repeatable for evaluating liver fibrosis in preclinical trials. Operator training might reduce variability in liver stiffness measurements.
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