Experimental Study On Hepatic Fibrosis Rabbit Model By Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse Elastography And FibroScore

Objective To investigate the value of the diagnosis of acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) elastography and FibroScore (An noninvasive liver fibrosis prediction model composed of haptoglobin, y-glutamyl endopeptidase and platelet counts index.) for staging liver fibrosis.Methods Liver fibrosis models were established in32rabbits by subcutaneously infusing thioacetamide(TAA),8rabbits served as control group. Several rabbits in the model group and the control group were randomly selected and underwent ARFI elastography for the purpose of acquire shear wave velocity(Vs)to represent liver stiffness respectively at the4th,8th andl2th week after the first injection and calculate the FibroScore. And their livers were taken for pathology analysis. By the different data, Spearman correlation analysis, rank-sum test or receiver operating characteristic curve was used.Results Among29successfully modeled rabbits,10,8,7and4rabbits were classified as S1, S2, S3and S4of liver fibrosis on pathology, respectively. The mean values of Vs and FibroScore were increased by degree with the exacerbation of liver fibrosis (P<0.05). In ROC analysis, the area under curve(AUC)for identifying S≥1, S≥2, S≥3and S=4was0.92,0.87,0.82and0.89respectively by Vs. The area under curve(AUC)for identifying S>1, S≥2, S≥3and S=4was0.84,0.86,0.79and0.82respectively by FibroScore.The diagnostic performance of ARFI judged by the area under ROC curves (AUROC) were larger than the corresponding FibroScore in every stage of liver fibrosis.Conclusion Both the ARFI and the FibroScore provide accurate quantitative evaluation of liver fibrosis in rabbits. ARFI is better than FibroScore. ARFI combined with FibroScore can improve the diagnosis of liver fibrosis.