Elastography Results Interpretation

Understanding the Measurements

The shear wave velocity through liver tissue is within the normal range, with a velocity of 1.5 m/sec, which correlates directly with tissue stiffness, indicating that the faster the wave travels, the stiffer the tissue, according to the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases 1
A liver stiffness value of 6.8 kPa is below all established thresholds for significant fibrosis across all chronic liver disease etiologies, with the American Gastroenterological Association suggesting that this value is well below the 11.0 kPa cutoff for cirrhosis in chronic hepatitis B 2, 3
The interquartile range (IQR) divided by the median value assesses measurement variability, and for valid transient elastography results, the IQR/median should be ≤30%, as recommended by the American Gastroenterological Association 2

The patient is at very low risk for liver-related complications, with a liver stiffness value below thresholds associated with portal hypertension, high-risk esophageal varices, and clinically significant portal hypertension, according to the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases 9, 10, 11
No liver biopsy is indicated at this stage, as noninvasive testing is sufficient, and regular monitoring with repeat elastography in 12 months is appropriate if risk factors for liver disease are present, as recommended by the European Association for the Study of the Liver 6

Recent food intake within 2-3 hours can artificially increase liver stiffness, and other factors such as acute hepatitis, active inflammation, alcohol consumption, extrahepatic cholestasis, congestive heart failure, and amyloidosis can also falsely elevate measurements, as noted by the American Gastroenterological Association 2, 1