ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To explore the association between liver stiffness and the Child-Pugh classification of liver function by shear wave elastography (SWE). METHODS: A total of 116 patients with liver cirrhosis were divided into 3 groups according to the Child-Pugh classification prospectively. Conventional ultrasound imaging and SWE were performed for all patients. The associations of liver stiffness measured by SWE with ultrasound measurements, serum biochemical indicators, and the Child-Pugh classification were analyzed. Receiver operating characteristic curves were analyzed and compared to determine the ability of liver stiffness to diagnose cirrhosis. RESULTS: Liver stiffness measured by SWE increased with an increasing Child-Pugh classification, internal diameter of the hepatic portal and splenic veins, spleen thickness, spleen length, total bilirubin level, and prothrombin time, which were positively correlated with the Child-Pugh classification (all P < .05). The albumin level and liver stiffness showed higher areas under the curve in comparison with other parameters for evaluating the Child-Pugh classification. Albumin and cholinesterase levels were negatively correlated with the Child-Pugh classification (P < .05). All of these indicators were significantly different between each pair of groups (all P < .05), except for the internal diameter of the hepatic portal vein, prothrombin time, and total bilirubin, and cholinesterase levels between groups B and C (P > 0.05) and the thickness and length of spleen and internal diameter of the splenic vein between groups A and B (P > 0.05). There were no differences among the groups for alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and globulin levels. CONCLUSIONS: Liver stiffness measured by SWE was correlated with the Child-Pugh classification, and it may be able to help evaluate liver function in patients with cirrhosis.