Principle of different ultrasound elastography and impact factors of liver stiffness in healthy adults

YANG Jiali; SONG Ling; LUO Yan

doi:10.12122/j.issn.1674-4500.2024.04.16

Abstract：Ultrasound elastography is widely used in clinical practice.The use of ultrasound elastography combined with pathological analysis can improve the diagnosis rate and differential diagnosis ability of diseases.At present,the liver stiffness measurement values measured by ultrasound elastography in clinical application are different due to the differences in different modalities,systems and devices,which may lead to different diagnostic thresholds for liver fibrosis grading.The World Federation of Medical Sonography and the European Federation of Ultrasound Societies in Medicine and Biology have published updated guidelines for the clinical application of liver ultrasound elastography.It is believed that in terms of disease diagnosis,some evidence of ultrasound elastography in the diagnosis of liver fibrosis is not sufficient at present,and the results of measured stiffness values are also affected by many factors.This article reviews that the principles of elastography,including the specific classification and related principles of strain elastography and shear wave elastography,the influencing factors of liver stiffness in healthy adults,including the examined patient's own factors(gender,age,BMI/abdominal fat thickness,food intake,body position,measurement depth,detection segment,respiratory phase),machine parameters(measurement times and sampling box)and other factors(different elastography techniques and operator's experience)on liver stiffness measurement in healthy adults,aiming to improve and complement the specific classification and related principles of elastography techniques and the influencing factors of elastography in liver stiffness measurement in healthy adults.