Evaluation of elastography combined with serological indexes for hepatic fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B

AIM To investigate the value of ultrasound elastography combined with serological indexes in diagnosing liver fibrosis and assessing its severity.METHODS A total of 338 chronic hepatitis B(CHB) patients were divided into a disease group(patients with hepatic fibrosis) and control group(subjects without hepatic fibrosis). The disease group was further divided into S1-S4 according to the degree of fibrosis. Independent risk factors for hepatic fibrosis were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression. The diagnostic values of hepatic fibrosis from different indicators were compared using receiver operating characteristic(ROC) curves. The combination of elastography and serological indexes was explored to assess the severity of hepatic fibrosis.RESULTS The multivariate logistic regression analysis results revealed that shear wave velocity(SWV), hyaluronic acid(HA), type Ⅳ collagen(CⅣ) and aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index(APRI) significantly affected the occurrence of hepatic fibrosis. The ROC curve revealed that the accuracy of the diagnosis of hepatic fibrosis for SWV and HA were 87.3% and 84.8%, respectively. The accuracy of SWV combined with HA was 88.9%. The multiple linear regression analysis revealed that SWV, aspartate aminotransferase(AST)/alanine aminotransferase(ALT), HA, CⅣ, APRI and fibrosis index based on the 4 factor(FIB-4) were screened as statistically significant independent factors. The established regression equation was: Fibrosis level =-4.046 + 1.024 × SWV + 1.170 × AST/ALT + 0.011 × HA + 0.020 × CⅣ + 0.719 × APRI + 0.379 × FIB-4. CONCLUSION SWV combined with serological indexes can improve the accuracy of diagnosis for CHB hepatic fibrosis. Serum indexes can help diagnose the degree of hepatic fibrosis.

Comparative study on operative trauma between microwave ablation and surgical treatment for papillary thyroid microcarcinoma

AIM To compare the effect and postoperative trauma of ultrasound-guided percutaneous microwave ablation and surgical resection in the treatment of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma(PTMC).METHODS Eighty-seven patients with PTMC treated at Fudan University affiliated Shanghai Fifth People's Hospital were enrolled as subjects. The patients were divided into a microwave ablation group(41 cases) and a surgical group(46 cases). The operative time, intraoperative blood loss, length of hospital stay, serum C-reactive protein(CRP), interleukin-6(IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), thyroid-related hormonal changes, and complications 7 d and 30 d after surgery were observed. RESULTS The operative time, intraoperative blood loss, and length of hospital stay in the surgical group were significantly higher than those in the microwave ablation group(P < 0.05). The levels of CRP, IL-6, and TNF-α in the surgical group were significantly higher than those in the microwave ablation group(P < 0.05). The free triiodothyronine(FT3) and free thyroxin(FT4) levels in the surgical group were significantly lower than those in the microwave ablation group(P < 0.05). However,the postoperative thyroid stimulating hormone(TSH)level was significantly higher than that in the microwave ablation group(P < 0.05). There were significant interactions between the FT3, FT4, and TSH 7 d and 30 d after operation and the treatment methods(P < 0.05).There was no significant difference in the complications between the two groups(P > 0.05). CONCLUSION Microwave ablation for papillary microcarcinoma of the thyroid gland has less trauma to the body, quicker recovery, and no scars. It can effectively shorten the length of hospital stay and improve the quality of life of patients.