Spectrum of Liver Elastography Findings in Various Liver Diseases: Experience from a Single Institution in Sylhet Region, Bangladesh

Abstract

Accurate staging of liver fibrosis is crucial for prognosis, treatment prioritization, and disease monitoring in chronic liver disorders. Shear wave elastography (SWE) is a non-invasive ultrasoundbased technique that quantitatively assesses liver stiffness and is increasingly used as A crosssectional, descriptive study was conducted on 135 patients referred for liver elastography, between July 2020 and August 2022, to evaluate the pattern of liver diseases and corresponding SWE findings among patients referred to the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS), Sylhet, Bangladesh. Shear wave elastography (SWE) was performed according to the updated Society of Radiologists in Ultrasound (SRU) Liver Elastography Consensus guidelines. Demographic data, clinical indications, biochemical parameters, ultrasonographic findings, and SWE categories were analyzed. The mean age of the participants was 41.71±13.71 years, with a male predominance (52.6%). Most patients (74.8%) were below 50 years age group. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) was the most common referral diagnosis (30.4%), followed by chronic hepatitis B virus infection (23.7%). Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels were observed in 50.4% of patients. Fatty liver change was the most frequent ultrasonographic finding (41.5%). SWE showed that 42.9% of patients belonged to category 2 liver stiffness, while 11.85% had values suggestive of advanced fibrosis. Shear wave elastography is a reliable, rapid, and non-invasive tool for liver fibrosis assessment and may significantly reduce the need for liver biopsy in routine clinical practice.

International Journal of Human and Health Sciences Vol. 10 No. 03 Jul’26 Page: 183-186