title: The diagnostic value of ultrasound elastography in patients with hepatitis B virus infection: a prospective study.
abstract: The aim of this prospective study was to investigate the diagnostic value of ultrasound elastography for evaluating liver stiffness measurement (LSM) in 74 patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, treated with telbivudine (22 with chronic HBV infection, 32 with compensated cirrhosis and 20 with decompensated cirrhosis). Each patient underwent ultrasound elastography measurements and serum liver marker assays before and after 6 months' treatment with 600 mg telbivudine, orally, once daily. In the 22 patients with chronic HBV infection, LSM values measured by ultrasound elastography decreased significantly following the treatment period compared with baseline. The LSM values were significantly higher in the 20 patients with decompensated cirrhosis than in the 32 patients with compensated cirrhosis after treatment. Significant decreases in serum hepatic fibrosis indices occurred in all patients following treatment. The correlation between fibrosis index, hyaluronic acid level and LSM was statistically significant in all patients, whereas the correlation between alanine aminotransferase and LSM was not. The findings suggest that liver stiffness in patients with HBV can be measured simply with ultrasound elastography and that it is reduced within 6 months by treatment with telbivudine. The main adverse events noted during the study period were that creatine kinase levels were increased in seven patients and that seven patients had influenza-like symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Centre of Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, Tangdu Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Y Z
authors.initials: YZ
authors.lastname: Gou
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: H T
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: X F
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Bai
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D044466:Asian People; D002681:China; D003710:Demography; D004548:Elasticity / Q000187:drug effects; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid / Q000097:blood; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009705:Nucleosides / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011744:Pyrimidinones / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000077712:Telbivudine; D013936:Thymidine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D009705:Nucleosides; D011744:Pyrimidinones; D000077712:Telbivudine; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D013936:Thymidine