Table 1.
Baseline characteristics.
Table 2.
Liver histology and corresponding LSM values (n = 150).
Figure 1.
Box plots of LSM values according to fibrosis stage (A) and sub-classification of cirrhosis (B).
Median LSM values increase significantly as fibrosis stage increases [6.4 kPa for F1 (range 3.7–15.3), 9.1 kPa for F2 (range 4.6–17.1), 10.0 kPa for F3 (range 5.7–21.8), and 12.0 kPa for F4 (range 5.3–48.0); all P<0.05] and histologic sub-classification of cirrhosis also shows a significant increment in the median LSM values [8.5 kPa for F4A (range, 5.3–16.2), 12.4 kPa for F4B (range, 7.6–37.8), and 22.2 kPa for F4C (range, 11.2–48.0); all P<0.05].
Figure 2.
Distribution of LSM values according to fibrosis stage and maxiaml activity grade 1–2 vs. 3–4.
The median LSM value was significantly higher in maxiaml activity grade 3–4 than 1–2 in F3 and F4 fibrosis stage (8.6 [range, 5.7–11.0] vs. 11.3 kPa [range, 7.9–21.8] in F3, P = 0.049; 11.9 [range, 5.3–34.3] vs. 19.2 kPa [range, 9.2–48.0] in F4, P = 0.009).
Table 3.
Distribution of fibrosis stage based on LB and LSM in patients with discordance (n = 21).
Figure 3.
Histology of LB high group (A) and LSM high group (B) (Masson trichrome, original magnification ×100).
(A) a patient in LB high group (F4A, maximal activity grade of A1, and ALT level of 34 IU/L) showed a thin fibrous septa and minimal necroinflammatory activity. (B) a patient in LSM high group (F2, maximal activity grade of A4, and ALT level of 168 IU/L) showed periportal fibrosis with bridging necrosis.
Table 4.
Independent predictors of discordance between LSM and LB.
Figure 4.
Percentage of patients with non-discordance and those with discordance in fibrosis stage F1–2 vs. F3–4 (A) and F1–3 vs. F4 (B).
The estimated odds ratios of discordance were 0.060 in patients with F3–4 (P<0.001; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.013–0.271) and 0.046 in those with F4 (P<0.001; 95% CI, 0.006–0.355).