Algorithm to rule out clinically significant portal hypertension combining Shear-wave elastography of liver and spleen: a prospective multicentre study

Recently, the UK guidelines on variceal bleeding1 and other reports have introduced the role of elastography for the diagnosis of oesophageal varices (OVs).2 3 Development of OVs is likely when the hepatic venous pressure gradient is higher than 10 mm Hg, which defines clinically significant portal hypertension (CSPH). Baveno VI implemented transient elastography (TE) as a tool to rule in CSPH in viral aetiologies and to rule out varices (need of screening endoscopy for varices).4 Furthermore, CSPH has a strong prognostic value in patients with cirrhosis. Recent studies introduced Shear-wave elastography of the liver (L-SWE) as a promising tool to diagnose portal hypertension. These studies find good diagnostic accuracy of L-SWE with specificity and sensitivity ranging around 80% and superior to TE. However, in more than 30% of the patients CSPH could not be ruled in or ruled out, since their SWE values...

Source: Gut - May 9, 2016 Category: Gastroenterology Authors: Jansen, C., Bogs, C., Verlinden, W., Thiele, M., Möller, P., Görtzen, J., Lehmann, J., Praktiknjo, M., Chang, J., Krag, A., Strassburg, C. P., Francque, S., Trebicka, J. Tags: PostScript Source Type: research