title: Liver Stiffness Measured by Shear-wave Elastography for Evaluating Intrahepatic Portal Hypertension in Children.
abstract: The aim of the study was to correlate liver stiffness (LS) and hepatic venous-pressure gradient (HVPG) and to evaluate the diagnostic performance of shear-wave elastography (SWE) for predicting clinically significant portal hypertension in children with suspected liver diseases, in consideration of the reliability criteria.
  
  
  
  We identified 33 SWEs from 32 children who underwent HVPG measurement within 2 weeks between June 2012 and October 2015. The correlation between LS and HVPG was assessed. The diagnostic performance for predicting clinically significant portal hypertension (HVPG ≥ 10 mmHg) was assessed using the receiver-operating characteristic curve. Reliable measurement was evaluated based on the coefficient of variation (CV).
  
  
  
  LS was significantly correlated with HVPG (r = 0.742, P < 0.001). The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve for predicting clinically significant portal hypertension was 0.914, and the best cutoff value of 18.4 kPa showed sensitivity of 87.5% and specificity of 84.0%. LS measurements having CV ≤ 0.2 were significantly correlated with HVPG (r = 0.774, P < .001), whereas those having CV > 0.2 did not show a significant correlation with HVPG (r = 0.598, P = 0.089).
  
  
  
  SWE had excellent diagnostic performance for predicting clinically significant portal hypertension in children with suspected liver diseases. LS measurements having CV ≤ 0.2 may possibly be used as a reliability criterion in SWE measurement.
authors.affiliation: *Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiology †Department of Pediatrics ‡Department of Pathology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Hee Mang
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: So Yeon
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Kyung Mo
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Seak Hee
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: Gi-Young
authors.initials: GY
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.forename: Yangsoon
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Jin Seong
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Ah Young
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Young Ah
authors.initials: YA
authors.lastname: Cho
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006975:Hypertension, Portal / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D007223:Infant; D008099:Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D012372:ROC Curve; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity