Shearwave elastography

[nerd1]

Hi, sorry to post again - does anyone know if the cut offs vary with shearwave elastography between different machines?

Looking at the studies available, a lot of them have a score of 1.57m/s as F3, or F2 at the minimum? My first few scores were 1.68m/s but the mean was 1.57m/s.

Also, as with fibroscan, SWE is good for F0 and F4, but not so good in the middle.

Thanks

[Ad45]

Hi, I was also curious about this as the ranges seem to differ between the different studies/abstracts that I came across on Google (been spending too much time reading these medical abstracts recently!) It's possible the cut offs differ according to the machine vendor but I don't know for sure.

The "fibroscan" I had at the beginning of the year was actually a Shearwave Elastography and my average reading was 1.52m/s which the radiologist said correlates with F0-F1 and just under 7kpa. Shearwave Elastography is known to over-estimate in comparison to Fibroscan.

[nerd1 in reply to Ad45]

Thanks so much, that's really helpful. I read something that said they did differ by machine type, and then something else that suggested they didn't!

[Kettl in reply to nerd1]

Hey Nerd, following your story. Very similar to yours. Last year I quit drinking. I had been developing spider veins on my chest and it freaked me out. Have white nails and other things that worried me. I quit drinking and also got my first COVID injection the day after. I got very I’ll. Couldn’t eat, shaky, yellow stool. I could barely work and had a lot of time off. Bloods were slightly out of range once only. I ended up loosing 10 kg in a very short period of time and another 5 over a few months. Had a shear wave elastography which was 7.8 kpa, I was still very worried. Had a fibroscan 3 months after first and it showed 4.5 kpa. Gastroscopy and colonoscopy NAD. I am now almost a year sober. I feel great and am healthy and happy. I cannot tell you what happened at that time. I certainly think I had severe health anxiety but there was certainly something very wrong happening with my body at that time also. I share my story with you because I think I read every article and asked many questions on this group. It’s really hard for people like us who need answers and need the scientific proof. I now try and stay well. I never what to feel that level of anxiety ever again. I live my life differently. I try to fit in a lot more to my life. I know every day counts. I lost my sister to cirrhosis on the 22/12/2022, she was 50 but never stopped drinking. I know what this disease can do.

Sorry got a little carried away but wanted to share as I feel you seem to have some similar issues. In relation to the shear wave values. I believe different machines have different but similar cut offs. I did have a chart for different machines so I will try to find it. In saying that. Even if the reading is a little bigger or a little smaller it’s not cirrhosis. It is reversible and you can now get cracking on staying sober, eating well and looking after yourself.

Found the chart. Not this is for hep C patients. Cut offs vary often dependant of cause of fibrosis. It does give you an idea though. From what I have read SWE and fibroscan are very good at determining if you have fibrosis and ruling out cirrhosis , not as good at being specific at the ranges in between.

Different cut offs for different machines.

[nerd1 in reply to Kettl]

Hi Kettl, thanks for replying, yes our stories do seem very similar. I'm also just over a year sober & my tests are coming back similar to yours, but what I don't understand is why the symptoms are continuing.

I did lose my sense of taste & smell completely a couple of months before the symptoms started, so it's possible Covid is a factor in all this.

I'm worried about the anti smooth muscle antibodies & wondering if I should have an ELF test in case the scans are not accurate after months of abstinence?

Glad to hear you're doing better x

[Kettl in reply to nerd1]

Nerd, am I right in thinking that your concern is that your fibroscore is wrong because it was taken further down the track? I’d it helps my hep made me wait three months to get a more accurate score. If you measure the score when the liver is still inflamed you then you will get a higher but less accurate reading. This is why some people go from numbers that would suggest cirrhosis to numbers that are low fibrosis. From what I understand this does not mean they had cirrhosis that reversed, it meant the liver became less inflamed and a more accurate reading was read. Definitely continue looking if you have symptoms but they may not be liver related. For me I always thought if my fibroscan was ok then I could put it to rest. For me this was correct and as my anxiety eased my symptoms improved. For you it may be getting an elf that rests your mind or you symptoms may be caused by something else that needs investigating. I hope you find your answers soon.

[Hidden]

Hi,

It is important that your own doctors clarify any concerns you have about your fibroscan results.

If you would like another chat on the British Liver Trust nurse helpline please do call us.

Best wishes.