Shear Wave Elastography in the Assessment of Liver Iron Overload in Children With Beta Thalassemia Major

Abstract

Shear wave elastography (SWE) is an ultrasound method that effectively demonstrates liver fibrosis. This prospective study aimed to compare magnetic resonance imaging T2* and SWE results of the liver in children with thalassemia major (TM). Patients with TM who had regular follow-ups were included. SWE was performed first, followed by MRI T2*. In addition, a healthy control group of the same age group, known to have no liver disease, was recruited. For these participants, only SWE was performed, and their results were compared with the SWE parameters of the TM patients. The study included 38 patients and 25 individuals who made up the control group. The groups with mild, moderate, and severe iron overload according to MRI T2* were compared in terms of SWE with parameters, and no statistically significant difference was found. However, when comparing the SWE parameters between the control group and patients, the median, average, and standard values were found to be statistically significantly higher in the patient group (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, P = 0.026). When comparing MRI T2* results, the median, average, and standard values were found to be statistically significantly higher in the patients with normal and mild iron overload (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, P = 0.033). SWE is an effective, more accessible, and easy-to-apply method for demonstrating early changes in the liver in pediatric patients with TM. This study serves as a guide for more comprehensive studies that may investigate the effect of SWE in this patient group.