S index: a predictor comparable to ultrasound shear wave elastography in assessing liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B

BackgroundChronic hepatitis B poses a major global health challenge, especially in developing countries. It significantly contributes to morbidity and mortality from liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.ObjectiveTo evaluate diagnostic performance of ultrasound shear wave elastography (USWE), S index, Z index, Fibrometer in continuous differentiation of liver fibrosis in a retrospective chronic hepatitis B patients' cohort.Materials and methodsWe collected liver stiffness values measured by USWE and laboratory indicators from 146 patients with chronic hepatitis B at Baoji Central Hospital. Serum fibrosis models were calculated using formulas, including S index, Z index, and Fibrometer. Using liver biopsy pathology as a reference, the diagnostic efficacy of each indicator for liver fibrosis staging was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC).ResultsS index and USWE demonstrated comparable diagnostic accuracy for liver fibrosis staging with areas under ROC (AUCs) of 0.791 vs. 0.860 (p = 0.679) for significant fibrosis (S >= 2), 0.867 vs. 0.942 (p = 0.074) for severe fibrosis (S >= 3), and 0.961 vs. 0.932 (p = 0.508) for cirrhosis (S4). The two indices exhibited superior performance over Fibrometer across all stages (S index/USWE vs. Fibrometer-AUCs: 0.791/0.806 vs. 0.575, < 0.001 for S >= 2; 0.867/0.940 vs. 0.625, p < 0.001 for S >= 3; 0.961/0.932 vs. 0.781, p = 0.004/0.025 for S4). Compared with Z index, they showed better diagnostic capacity for S >= 2 (AUCs 0.791/0.806 vs. 0.575, p < 0.001) and S >= 3 (0.867/0.942 vs. 0.673, p < 0.001), while maintaining equivalent accuracy for cirrhosis detection (AUCs 0.961/0.932 vs. 0.914, p = 0.209/0.747).ConclusionThe S index is equally effective as the USWE in diagnosing liver fibrosis among patients with chronic hepatitis B, and it is superior to both the Z index and Fibrometer.