Liver Shear Wave Speed and Other Quantitative Ultrasound Measures of Liver Parenchyma: Prospective Evaluation in Healthy Children and Adults

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to use 2D ultrasound shear wave elastography (SWE) to define expected ranges for liver shear wave speed and shear wave dispersion in children and adults without a known history of liver disease. The study also sought to define liver attenuation in adults. SUBJECTS AND METHODS. This was an institutional review board-approved prospective study of 128 children (younger than 18 years old) and 32 adults without liver disease who underwent 2D SWE of the liver with a Canon Aplio i800 ultrasound system (i8CX1 transducer). Ten shear wave speed and shear wave dispersion measurements were obtained. In adults, five attenuation measurements were also obtained. Pearson correlation and t tests were used to define relationships between shear wave speed and dispersion values and predictor variables. Multivariable logistic regression with forward selection was used to generate models. RESULTS. Median age was 5.04 years old for the pediatric participants and 48.92 years old for the adult participants. Mean median shear wave speed and shear wave dispersion were 1.29 ± 0.13 m/s and 11.43 ± 1.75 (m/s)/kHz, respectively, for the pediatric participants and 1.32 ± 0.13 m/s and 10.24 ± 1.65 (m/s)/kHz, respectively, for the adults. Mean median attenuation in adults was 0.52 ± 0.11 dB/cm/MHz. On multivariable modeling, height was the only significant predictor of shear wave speed in children (0.0012 m/s per cm, p < 0.0001) and abdominal wall thickness was the only predictor of shear wave speed in adults (0.12 m/s per cm, p = 0.0008). CONCLUSION. Liver shear wave speed and shear wave dispersion data for children and adults without liver disease provides data against which results from patients with liver disease can be compared. Liver shear wave speed increases during childhood associated with increases in height and shear wave speed increases in adulthood with increasing abdominal wall thickness.