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ArticleLiver international : official journal of the International Association for the Study of the Liver2026

Prognostication of Liver Disease Patients via the WFUMB 'Rule-of-4' Algorithm Using SSI-2D-SWE-Based Liver Stiffness Measurement.

Christian Sebesta, Georg Kramer, Nina Dominik, Benedikt S Hofer, Lorenz Balcar, Paul Thöne, Mathias Jachs, Lukas Hartl, Benedikt Simbrunner, Till Schöchtner and 7 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Liver international : official journal of the International Association for the Study of the Liver, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Prognostication of Liver Disease Patients via the WFUMB 'Rule-of-4' Algorithm Using SSI-2D-SWE-Based Liver Stiffness Measurement.Liver international : official journal of the International Association for the Study of the Liver · 2026
    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

17 authors.

Christian SebestaDivision of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.ORCID 0009-0001-7504-8506
Georg KramerDivision of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.ORCID 0009-0008-1736-3699
Nina DominikDivision of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.ORCID 0009-0009-4615-915X
Benedikt S HoferDivision of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.ORCID 0000-0003-3403-3372
Lorenz BalcarDivision of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.ORCID 0000-0002-6708-3061
Paul ThöneDivision of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Mathias JachsDivision of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.ORCID 0000-0003-2871-4147
Lukas HartlDivision of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.ORCID 0000-0003-3398-6120
Benedikt SimbrunnerDivision of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.ORCID 0000-0001-8181-9146
Till SchöchtnerDivision of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Friedrich HaimbergerDivision of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Nicolas BalutschDivision of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Albert F StättermayerDivision of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Michael TraunerDivision of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Mattias MandorferDivision of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.ORCID 0000-0003-2330-0017
Thomas ReibergerDivision of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
David J M BauerDivision of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.ORCID 0000-0002-9363-8518

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology (WFUMB) guidance update 2024 proposed a 'rule-of-4' using ARFI liver stiffness measurement (LSM) to stratify the risk of decompensation events. This rule identifies advanced chronic liver disease (ACLD) at a threshold of ≥ 13 kPa and indicates a high probability of clinically significant portal hypertension (CSPH) above 21 kPa.

methodsWe prospectively enrolled 187 patients undergoing same-day SSI-2D-LSM (Aixplorer SuperSonic Imagine) and hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) measurement. Patients were stratified into three LSM groups < 13 kPa, 13-21 kPa and > 21 kPa and followed for decompensation events for 1 year (Y1).

resultsThe cohort comprised 31 (16.6%) patients with LSM < 13 kPa (non-ACLD); 33 (17.6%) LSM 13-21 kPa (ACLD) and 123 (65.8%) LSM > 21 kPa (high CSPH probability). The corresponding median HVPG values were 5 [IQR: 3-7] vs. 10 [7-14] vs. 17 [13-21] mmHg, respectively, and the corresponding CSPH prevalence was 6.5%, 54.5% and 91.9%. In ROC analysis to predict CSPH, SSI-2D-LSM demonstrated high accuracy (AUC: 0.83). Validating the new WFUMB extension of the 'rule-of-4', the recommended > 21 kPa threshold identified CSPH with a specificity of 80.0% and a PPV of 83.1%. In competing risk analysis, the Y1-decompensation rate was 0%, 10% and 24.7% of patients in the < 13 kPa, 13-21 kPa and > 21 kPa groups, respectively. For prediction of Y1-decompensation risk in the compensated ACLD (cACLD) subgroup, HVPG demonstrated the highest predictive accuracy (AUC: 0.92), while SSI-2D-LSM (AUC: 0.75) performed similarly to vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE: AUC: 0.77; AUC-comparison: p = 0.837).

conclusionsThe WFUMB 'rule-of-4' for ARFI-LSM allows for accurate and point-of-care non-invasive risk stratification of patients with liver disease. Specifically, the short-term risk of decompensation starts at SSI-2D-LSM ≥ 13 kPa and becomes considerable at SSI-2D-LSM > 21 kPa (indicating high CSPH probability). These findings support the broader implementation of ARFI-LSM for risk assessment in clinical routine.

Indexed as

Elasticity Imaging TechniquesHypertension, PortalLiverLiver CirrhosisLiver DiseasesAgedAlgorithmsFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPredictive Value of TestsPrognosisProspective StudiesRisk AssessmentROC Curve

Identifiers

PMID41954051
PMCPMC13063207

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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.