The Value of Combinational Elastography in Assessing Fibrosis Staging in Patients with Liver Fibrosis in Chronic Liver Disease

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the value of ultrasound combined with elastography in the staging of fibrosis in patients with liver fibrosis in chronic liver disease. Methods: Eighty-nine patients with chronic liver disease diagnosed by liver puncture biopsy in the Affiliated Hospital of Youjiang Medical College of Nationalities from January 2021 to April 2024 were selected, and the patients were divided into three groups according to the Metavir score: cirrhosis group (F4, n=36), significant fibrosis group (F2-3, n=39), and no significant fibrosis group (F0-1, n=14). Clinical data and ultrasound combined elastography (Combi-Elasto) parameters were collected from all patients. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare the differences in Combi-Elasto parameters among the three groups, and then ridge regression analysis was applied to further screen out the independent influencing factors of significant liver fibrosis. The staging accuracy of Combi-Elasto for the degree of liver fibrosis was assessed by the subjects' work characteristic curves (ROCs), which clarified the clinical value of Combi-Elasto. Results: The differences between the three groups comparing age, BMI, ATT, APRI, GPR, and FIB-4 among the groups were not statistically significant (P > 0.05), and the differences between the sexes, FIndex, and AIndex among the groups were statistically significant (P < 0.05). Spearman's correlation analysis revealed a positive correlation between FIndex, AIndex, FIB-4, APRI and GPR were significantly positively correlated with each other. One-way ANOVA and ridge regression analysis showed that AIndex and FIndex were independent influences on the occurrence of liver fibrosis, and ROC results showed that the AUCs of FIndex and AIndex in the group with no significant liver fibrosis were 0.836 and 0.855, respectively, and that the combination with APRI, GPR, and FIB-4 had the highest diagnostic efficacy in the group with no significant liver fibrosis. Conclusion: Ultrasound combined with elastography can significantly improve the diagnostic efficacy of the degree of hepatic fibrosis and provide a promising and innovative new method for identifying early hepatic fibrosis.