title: Are transient and shear wave elastography useful tools in Gaucher disease?
abstract: Up to now, there are no reliable biochemical markers or imaging that could reveal early tissue damage in Gaucher disease. Therefore, we addressed whether elastography technique can serve as a tool for evaluating patients with Gaucher disease. The study included 42 patients with Gaucher disease type I and 33 patients with liver cirrhosis as well as 22 healthy volunteers. Ultrasound and Doppler examination was performed on each participant prior to apply transient and 2D shear wave elastography. In Gaucher disease the median stiffness of the spleen as assessed by transient elastography (TE) and shear wave elastography (SWE) was 35KPa and 22KPa respectively in contrast to the median stiffness of healthy controls (16.95 and 17.5KPa, p=0.0028 and p=0.0002, respectively) and of patients with cirrhosis (45KPa and 34.5KPa, p=0.015 and p<0.0001 respectively). The liver stiffness in GD as measured by TE and SWE had median values of 7.1KPa and 7KPa respectively, slightly higher than in the healthy controls, but much smaller than for the cirrhotic patients (medians of 24.2KPa and 21KPa). In conclusion, a transient and shear wave elastography show a significant promise as noninvasive and reproducible tools to differentiate Gaucher disease from healthy controls and among those with splenomegaly from cirrhotic patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Tel-Aviv Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel and Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Muriel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Webb
authors.affiliation: Shaare Zedek Medical Center, and Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: Ari
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zimran
authors.affiliation: Shaare Zedek Medical Center, and Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: Tama
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dinur
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Tel-Aviv Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel and Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Oren
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Shibolet
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Tel-Aviv Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel and Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: Stella
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Levit
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistics and Operations Research, Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Israel.
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Steinberg
authors.affiliation: Institute of Thrombosis and Hemostasis, Sheba Medical Center, Tel - Hashomer and Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel. Electronic address: Ophiras@sheba.health.gov.il.
authors.forename: Ophira
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Salomon
mesh_terms: D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005776:Gaucher Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013154:Spleen / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology
keywords: Fibroscan; Gaucher disease; Liver stiffness; Shear wave elastography; Spleen stiffness; Transient elastography