[An ultrasonic scoring system for assessing the severity of hepatic fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B].
OBJECTIVE
To discuss the diagnostic value of an ultrasonic assessing system for detecting the severity of hepatic fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB).


METHODS
Ultrasonographic variables were analyzed in 110 CHB patients. An ultrasonic semi-quantitative scoring system using seven ultrasonic morphologic parameters, a Fisher discriminating function and three quantitative ultrasonic parameters was developed. The performance of these methods was also studied and compared.


RESULTS
The areas under the curve of the scoring system for different liver fibrosis stages were >or= S2: 0.946, >or= S3: 0.914, and S4: 0.915. The total score was well correlated with the histological stage of fibrosis (r=0.824, P < 0.001). There was a significant difference between the stages of fibrosis. The accuracy of the Fisher discriminating function for identifying three study endpoints was 76.5%, 78.2% and 67.3%. Combining the ultrasonic scoring system and the discriminating function, the specificity was 85%-90% and the accuracy was 77%-84%.


CONCLUSIONS
Our ultrasonic semi-quantitative scoring system is a noninvasive method for quantitating liver fibrosis. If it is used together with a discriminating function, the accuracy of diagnosing liver fibrosis can be significantly increased.
Zhang
Wen-sheng
WS
Liver Research Center, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, China.
Wang
Bo-en
BE
Jia
Ji-dong
JD
Ou
Xiao-juan
XJ
Wang
Tai-ling
TL
Qian
Lin-xue
LX
Zhang
Fu-kui
FK
Ma
Hong
H
You
Hong
H
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color; D055815:Young Adult