Medical Ultrasonography
Reference values of liver and spleen stiffness in a homogeneous cohort of healthy young adults assessed by two-dimensional Shear Wave Elastography
By Sevinj Salahova, Konul Aslanova, Mammadova Samira and 1 others.
Abstract
Aim
To establish baseline liver and spleen stiffness values in healthy young adults using two-dimensional shear wave elastography (2D-SWE) and to evaluate differences according to gender and body mass index (BMI). Material and methods: A total of 400 healthy medical students (160 males and 240 females; mean age 22.2 years) underwent abdominal ultrasound and 2D-SWE using the Supersonic Aixplorer MultiWave system. Participants were stratified by BMI. As stiffness values were not normally distributed, results are presented as median and interquartile range (IQR), and non-parametric tests were applied.
Results
The median liver stiffness was 5.25 kPa (IQR: 4.55–5.70) and was significantly higher in males (p=0.016), with no significant association with BMI. Median spleen stiffness was 15.9 kPa (IQR: 15.1–17.1) and was significantly higher in individuals with BMI >25 kg/m² (p<0.001). A weak but significant correlation was observed between BMI and spleen stiffness (r=0.147, p=0.003), while no correlation was found with liver stiffness. The prevalence of hepatic steatosis and gallstone disease was higher among overweight participants.