Investigating the Correlation between Liver Ultrasound pSWE and Portal Vein Hemodynamics: Preliminary Findings

Abstract

Introduction: Portal vein size and hemodynamics can be altered in patients with portal hypertension. Elastography for liver stiffness has been proposed as a potential predictor of portal hypertension. However, the relationship between liver stiffness measured using point shear wave elastography (pSWE) and portal vein diameter and Doppler parameters remains unclear. Therefore, this observational study aimed to investigate the correlation between liver ultrasound pSWE and portal vein hemodynamics in healthy participants.

Methods: Twenty-five healthy men with no underlying medical conditions and who were not on regular medications were enrolled in the study. Liver stiffness, portal vein diameter, and Doppler parameters were measured using ultrasound EPIQ Elite with a curved-array transducer (C5-1 MHz) equipped with pSWE and Doppler imaging. Real-time pSWE measurements were taken from the liver. Portal vein diameter and Doppler parameters were measured in a longitudinal view of the extra-hepatic segment. Spearman correlation was used to assess the association between liver pSWE and portal vein diameter as well as Doppler parameters, with a significance level set at < 0.05.

Results: There was no significant correlation between liver stiffness and portal vein diameter (p = 0.67) or Doppler parameters, including peak systolic velocity (p = 0.89), end-diastolic velocity (p = 0.65), and resistive index (p = 0.86).

Conclusion: Our findings suggest no direct correlation between liver stiffness measured using pSWE and portal vein hemodynamics in healthy adults. Further studies are warranted to investigate the relationship between liver pSWE and the hemodynamics of portal veins in patients with liver diseases.

Keywords: Ultrasound; elastography; hemodynamics; liver stiffness; pSWE; portal vein.