Ultrasonic spleen thickness-based indexes surpass Baveno VI criteria in high-risk gastroesophageal varices detection.

Aims: To evaluate the efficiency of ultrasonic spleen thickness (UST), routine variables and (expanded) Baveno VI criteria for high-risk gastroesophageal varices (HRGOV) detection in cirrhotic patients.

Methods: In total, 305 cirrhotic patients were retrospectively enrolled in the deriving cohort and 328 cirrhotic patients with hepatitis B sustained viral response were prospectively enrolled in the validation cohort. HRGOV was defined as medium and severe gastroesophageal varices (GOV), mild GOV with red signs or Child-Pugh C.

Liver Fibrosis in the Natural Course of Chronic Hepatitis B Viral Infection: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis.

Background: Quantitative data are limited on the natural course of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic HBV infection (CHB).

Aims: To estimate the prevalence of fibrosis status including non-fibrosis, significant fibrosis, advanced fibrosis, and cirrhosis throughout the natural course of CHB.

Methods: We searched Cochrane library, EMBASE, PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect from January 1993 to November 2019 for studies with histologic data on liver fibrosis in CHB natural course.

Alanine aminotransferase influencing performances of routine available tests detecting hepatitis B-related cirrhosis.

The performances of routine tests such as FIB-4 and APRI in detecting cirrhosis and significant fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) have been shown to be discrepant between studies. Novel tests such as red cell distribution width-platelet ratio (RPR), γ-glutamyl transpeptidase to platelet ratio (GPR) and easy liver fibrosis test (eLIFT) are introduced recently. To evaluate the aminotransferase influence on the performance of these routine tests, a total of 1005 CHB patients who underwent liver biopsies and routine tests were retrospectively analysed.

Clinical Application of Vibration Controlled Transient Elastography in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B.

Evaluation of the extent and progression of liver fibrosis and cirrhosis is of critical importance in the management and prognosis of patients with chronic hepatitis B. Due to the limitation of liver biopsy, non-invasive methods, especially liver stiffness measurement (LSM) by vibration controlled transient elastography, have been developed and widely applied for liver fibrosis assessment. LSM aims to reduce, but not to substitute, the need for liver biopsy for fibrosis/cirrhosis diagnosis.

Stepwise application of fibrosis index based on four factors, red cell distribution width-platelet ratio, and aspartate aminotransferase-platelet ratio for compensated hepatitis B fibrosis detection.

Background And Aim: Fibrosis index based on four factors (FIB-4) and aspartate aminotransferase-platelet ratio (APRI) were validated with unsatisfactory efficiency. Routine hematology index red cell distribution width-platelet ratio (RPR) had been tried in liver fibrosis detection. This study tries to evaluate the stepwise application of FIB-4, RPR, and APRI in detecting chronic hepatitis B (CHB) fibrosis.

Optimization of hepatitis B cirrhosis detection by stepwise application of transient elastography and routine biomarkers.

Background And Aim: Significant inflammation may overestimate liver stiffness and result in false positive diagnosis by transient elastography for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) cirrhosis detection. This study tries to further improve the performance by stepwise combination with routine biomarkers.

Methods: A total of 236 compensated CHB patients with alanine transferase lower than five times upper limit of normal, liver biopsies, transient elastography, and routine blood tests were included.

Combining routine markers improves the accuracy of transient elastography for hepatitis B cirrhosis detection.

Background And Aim: Vibration Controlled Transient Elastography (VCTE) is a non-invasive test for liver fibrosis and cirrhosis but may be inaccurate in some patients, especially in those with chronic hepatitis B. This study aims at improving the accuracy of VCTE in cirrhosis detection by combining ultrasound and routine blood parameters.

Methods: Hepatitis B patients with liver biopsies samples ≥20mm underwent VCTE, ultrasound and blood tests, and were divided into training set (n=170) and validation set (n=75).

Larger biopsies evaluation of transient elastography for detecting advanced fibrosis in patients with compensated chronic hepatitis B.

Background And Aim: Although larger biopsies sample had been recommended for the study of non-invasive liver fibrosis assessment, few studies with larger biopsies for transient elastography (TE) detecting liver fibrosis had been reported. The present study tries to re-evaluate the performance of TE for detecting advanced fibrosis (≥F3) with larger biopsies in patients with compensated chronic hepatitis B.

Methods: A total of 375 compensated patients were analyzed, who had undergone liver biopsy, reliable TE and routine blood tests.

[Transient elastography accurately predicts the severity of disease in patients with chronic hepatitis B].

Objective: To evaluate the value of transient elastography (TE) for predicting severity of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB).

Methods: A total of 969 patients with CHB was enrolled and recruited for analysis, which had been received TE scan, including 258 patients of liver biopsy, and 117 patients of gastric endoscopy.

Results: A total of 35 patients was excluded from analysis due to TE failure or unreliable TE.

Improving transient elastography performance for detecting hepatitis B cirrhosis.

Background: Transient elastography is a well-established method for detecting cirrhosis.

Aim: To improve the performance of transient elastography in detecting hepatitis B cirrhosis by alanine aminotransferase (ALT)-stratified cutoffs, bilirubin normalization and transient elastography-based algorithms.

Methods: A total of 315 compensated patients were analysed following liver biopsies, transient elastography, ultrasonography and blood tests.

Is transient elastography valuable for high-risk esophageal varices prediction in patients with hepatitis-B-related cirrhosis?

Background And Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical value of transient elastography (TE) for high-risk esophageal varices (HREV) prediction in hepatitis-B-related cirrhosis patients.

Methods: A total of 238 patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis were prospectively enrolled. All patients had undergone TE and upper gastrointestinal endoscopy.