title: [Factors associated with liver stiffness in chronic liver disease].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Transient elastography is a new noninvasive tool for measuring liver stiffness that accurately predicts significant fibrosis and cirrhosis. However, several studies have indicated that liver stiffness can be significantly influenced by major changes in aminotransferase in patients with chronic viral hepatitis. The aim of this study was to determine the factors influencing liver stiffness in patients with chronic liver disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 158 patients with chronic liver disease who underwent transient elastography and liver biopsy sampling. Histologic findings on fibrosis and necroinflammatory activity in the biopsy specimens were evaluated according to the Korean Society of Pathologists Scoring System. Routine biochemical tests were performed according to standard methods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Liver stiffness was strongly correlated with liver fibrosis stage (Spearman coefficient=0.636, P<0.001), lobular activity (Spearman coefficient=0.359, P<0.001), and portoperiportal activity grade (Spearman coefficient=0.448, P<0.001). Liver stiffness was significantly associated with serum levels of total bilirubin (P=0.025), direct bilirubin (P=0.049), gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (P=0.014), platelet count (P=0.004), albumin (P<0.001), and international normalized ratio (P<0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that fibrosis stage (B 3.50, P=0.009) and lobular activity grade (B 3.25, P=0.047) were independently associated with liver stiffness.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Liver stiffness as measured by transient elastography is associated with the grade of necroinflammatory activity and the stage of fibrosis, irrespective of serum ALT levels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea.
authors.forename: Da Mi
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Eun Joon
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.forename: Joo An
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: Min Suk
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Jae Youn
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Cheong
authors.forename: Sung Won
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Yeong Bae
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Dong Joon
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Seong Gyu
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: Jin Mo
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001663:Bilirubin / Q000097:blood; D001706:Biopsy; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004548:Elasticity; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques; D005260:Female; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000150:complications*; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D019934:International Normalized Ratio; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010976:Platelet Count; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase; D001663:Bilirubin