Evaluation of Hepatic Shear Wave Elastography to Assess Liver Fibrosis in Biliary Atresia Patients and Its Correlation with Liver Histology and Surgical Outcomes: A Prospective Observational Study

Abstract

Abstract Introduction The native liver survival in biliary atresia (BA) depends on various factors, and one of the crucial factors is the rate of progression of liver fibrosis after portoenterostomy, but there is no reliable investigation to assess it. This study evaluated shear wave elastography (SWE) to detect liver fibrosis in BA patients and assess its utility during follow-up. Materials and Methods This was an observational study; SWE was done preoperatively and postoperatively at 3 and 6 months. The SWE values were analyzed to determine their correlations with preoperative liver histology as well as with postoperative SWE variation between different postoperative outcomes. Results Twenty-one patients were included in the study; the preoperative SWE values were strongly correlated with liver biopsy grading (p < 0.001). At the 3 months postoperatively, SWE was done for 18 children: 12 in group A (patent bilioenteric drainage on hepatobiliary iminodiacetic acid scan) and 6 (nonpatent) in group B; mean SWE value was 12.8 and 17.3 kPa, respectively (p < 0.001). Ten children from group A underwent SWE 6 months postoperatively, and the mean value was 13.23 kPa. Conclusion The SWE values correlate with liver histology grading, suggesting a reliable alternative to biopsy. Additionally, the baseline SWE values and their trend during follow-up can provide information on the disease's progression.