SIGNIFICANCE OF TWO-DIMENSIONAL SHEAR WAVE ELASTOGRAPHY IN PREDICTING ESOPHAGEAL VARICOSE VEINS DURING CHRONIC LIVER DISEASE.

The aim of the study was to reveal diagnostic capabilities of 2D SWE for predicting esophageal varices (EV) in patients with chronic liver diseases. This case-control study included clinical-laboratory examination results data of 104 patients which were collected retrospectively at the medical center from January 2020 to April 2022. 52 patients who were participated in the examination had got chronic liver disease (case group), and 52 patients were healthy (control group). Based on the obtained data, we compared 2D SWE results with esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) results and evaluated the diagnostic value, sensitivity, specificity, AUROC, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of 2D SWE in the presence of esophageal varices. A total of 104 patients were included in the examination. Average hardness of the liver of healthy patients was 3.98 Kpa, the average hardness of the liver in patients with chronic liver disease was 17.51 Kpa. Sensitivity and specificity of liver elastography were 100% and 76%, respectively;(AUROC: 0.973); In addition, positive and negative predictive values were 40% and 100%, respectively. 2D SWE of the liver, as a non-invasive method of evaluating liver stiffness during chronic liver disease, can also be used to predict the presence of esophageal varices.