From FibroScan to 2D Shear Wave Elastography: Technological Evolution or Diagnostic Substitution in Liver Fibrosis Assessment?

Authors

  • Dr Akib Arfee Dept. of Radiodiagnosis and Imaging, Govt. Medical College Srinagar, India
  • Dr. Omair Ashraf Shah Dept. of Radiodiagnosis and Imaging, Govt. Medical College Srinagar, India
  • Dr Asif Iqball Dept. of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Govt. Medical College Srinagar, India
  • Dr Afshana Bashir Dept. of Pathology, Govt. Medical College Srinagar, India
  • Dr Aaqib Manzoor Dept. of Radiodiagnosis and Imaging, Govt. Medical College Srinagar, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.59667/sjoranm.v26i1.16

Keywords:

Liver fibrosis, transient elastography, two-dimensional shear wave elastography, METAVIR, diagnostic accuracy, FibroScan

Abstract

Objective: To compare FibroScan and two-dimensional shear wave elastography (2D SWE) for liver fibrosis staging and describe the limits of the reported aggregate evidence.

Methods: This prospective single-center study enrolled 155 patients with chronic liver disease between October 2022 and November 2025. The report describes 136 patients with complete assessment. Separate operators performed FibroScan and 2D SWE. Multiple biopsy specimens were obtained per patient and examination and staged using METAVIR. Counts and stage-specific diagnostic measures were recalculated from the submitted contingency tables.

Results: Reported technical failure occurred in 18/155 FibroScan examinations (11.6%) and 8/155 2D SWE examinations (5.2%); 2D SWE succeeded in 11/18 patients with FibroScan failure. Within the respective tables, exact agreement with biopsy was 123/136 (90.4%) for FibroScan and 120/136 (88.2%) for 2D SWE. Intermethod agreement was 118/136 (86.8%), with linear weighted kappa 0.893. Different stages in multiple biopsy specimens account for the differing histological distributions. Specimen-to-measurement matching is undocumented, and elastography margins also differ between comparisons. These recalculations describe the reported cells; patient-level comparative estimates remain unvalidated.

Conclusion: The reported observations suggest potential complementary use of 2D SWE when FibroScan is unsuccessful. They do not establish diagnostic equivalence, superiority, or substitution. Specimen-level matching, reconciliation of elastography counts, and documented staging thresholds are needed for valid comparative conclusions.

References

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SJORANM article cover, Vol. 26 No. 1 (2025). Holographic symbolic illustration for article 104.

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Published

2025-12-29

Data Availability Statement

The aggregate counts underlying the reported analyses are presented in Tables 1–3. Patient-level data and the linkage between individual biopsy specimens and elastography measurements were not available for the correction.

Issue

Vol. 26 No. 1 (2025)

Section

Research Articles

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Copyright (c) 2025 Dr Akib Arfee, Dr. Omair Ashraf Shah, Dr Asif Iqball , Dr Afshana Bashir, Dr Aaqib Manzoor

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How to Cite

Arfee, A., Ashraf Shah, O., Iqball, A., Bashir, A., & Manzoor, A. (2025). From FibroScan to 2D Shear Wave Elastography: Technological Evolution or Diagnostic Substitution in Liver Fibrosis Assessment?. Swiss Journal of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, 26(1), 7-16. https://doi.org/10.59667/sjoranm.v26i1.16

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