Reference values for shear wave elastography, shear wave dispersion and attenuation imaging in healthy paediatric livers.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The rising prevalence of paediatric liver disease, including metabolic dysfunction- associated steatotic liver disease, highlights the need for reliable, non-invasive diagnostic tools. Advanced ultrasound techniques such as shear wave elastography (SWE), shear wave dispersion (SWD), and attenuation imaging (ATI) offer promising alternatives to biopsy or magnetic resonance imaging, but normative paediatric values remain limited.

Objective

This study aimed to establish age-specific reference values for SWE, SWD, and ATI in healthy children and to assess potential influencing factors such as age, sex, body mass index (BMI), and fasting duration.

Materials and methods

In this retrospective study, 264 children (135 female, median age 11.5 years) without known li

SUBMITTER: Zellner M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12831688 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature