Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28076629›Full record

ArticleSao Paulo medical journal = Revista paulista de medicina

Acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) elastography compared with biopsy for evaluating hepatic fibrosis after liver transplantation: a cross-sectional diagnostic study.

Joel Schmillevitch, Maria Cristina Chammas, Vincenzo Pugliese, Edson Abdala, Adriana Cortez Rizzon, Venâncio Alves, Luiz Augusto Carneiro, Giovanni Cerri

Abstract readComparative Study
In one paragraph

Article in Sao Paulo medical journal = Revista paulista de medicina. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Joel SchmillevitchMD. Researcher, Instituto de Radiologia (InRad), Hospital das Clínicas (HC), Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (FMUSP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Maria Cristina ChammasMD, PhD. Director, Ultrasonography Service, Instituto de Radiologia (InRad), Hospital das Clínicas (HC), Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (FMUSP), São Paulo (SP), Brazil.
Vincenzo PuglieseMD, PhD. Attending Physician, Liver and Digestive System Organ Transplantation Division, Hospital das Clínicas (HC), Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (FMUSP), São Paulo (SP), Brazil.
Edson AbdalaMD, PhD. Professor, Department of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Hospital das Clínicas (HC), Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (FMUSP), São Paulo (SP), Brazil.
Adriana Cortez RizzonNurse, Coordinator of the Liver and Digestive System Organ Transplantation Division, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (FMUSP), São Paulo (SP), Brazil.
Venâncio AlvesMD, PhD. Titular Professor, Department of Pathology, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (FMUSP), São Paulo (SP), Brazil.
Luiz Augusto CarneiroMD, PhD. Titular Professor and Director, Liver and Digestive System Organ Transplantation Division, Hospital das Clínicas (HC), Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (FMUSP), São Paulo (SP), Brazil.
Giovanni CerriMD, PhD. Titular Professor, Department of Radiology, Universidade de São Paulo (FMUSP), São Paulo (SP), Brazil.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

CONTEXT AND

objective: Biopsies are used after liver transplantation to evaluate fibrosis. This study aimed to evaluate the elasticity of transplanted livers by means of a non-invasive examination, acoustic radiation force imaging (ARFI) elastography, correlating the results with the histological analysis. DESIGN AND

setting: Cross-sectional study in a public university hospital.

methods: All patients consecutively operated between 2002 and 2010 with an indication for biopsy were evaluated by means of elastography. The radiologist evaluating ARFI and the pathologist doing anatomopathological examinations were blinded to each other's evaluations.

results: During the study period, 33 patients were included. The indication for transplantation was cirrhosis due to hepatitis C in 21 cases (63%). Liver biopsies showed absence of fibrosis (F0) in 10 patients, F1 in 11, F2 in 8 and F3 in 4. There were no cases of F4 (cirrhosis). The difference in ARFI values (degree of fibrosis) was 0.26 (95% confidence interval, CI: 0.07-0.52) between the groups F0-F1 and F2-F4 (P = 0.04). An area under the curve of 0.74 (CI: 0.55-0.94) and a cutoff of 1.29 m/s between the groups resulted in the best relationship between sensitivity and specificity. Sensitivity (0.66; CI: 0.50-0.83) was lower than specificity (0.85; CI: 0.72-0.97). There was no significant difference in ARFI between patients with hepatitis C and those with other diseases.

conclusions: The values obtained from elastography were not affected by inflammatory reaction or anatomical alterations. A cutoff point of 1.29 m/s separating patients with or without significant fibrosis was identified.

Indexed as

AdultAgedBiopsyCross-Sectional StudiesElasticity Imaging TechniquesFemaleHumansLiverLiver CirrhosisLiver TransplantationMaleMiddle AgedReference ValuesReproducibility of ResultsSensitivity and SpecificitySeverity of Illness Index

Identifiers

PMID28076629
PMCPMC11448723

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.