Elastography ultrasound for screening and early detection of esophageal varices

Authors

  • Abdelhamid Mohamed Abdou Department of Radiology, Khulais General Hospital, Khulais, Saudi Arabia
  • Doha Jawad Alsafwani College of Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
  • Kamal Jamal Alamrousi College of Medicine, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland
  • Alaa Ali Muri Department of Internal Medicine, King Abdulaziz Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
  • Aseel Hassan Almagrabi Department of Internal Medicine, Security Forces Hospital, Mecca, Saudi Arabia
  • Faisal Thiab Alenazi General Physician, Ministry of Health, Albaha, Saudi Arabia
  • Almaha Abdulaziz Alabdullatif College of Medicine, Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • Al-Khansa'a Ahmed Khabt Department of Radiology, Al Asyah General Hospital, Qassim, Saudi Arabia
  • Alhareth Khalid Alhussain Department of Emergency Medicine, Dhurma General Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • Nawaf Nhari Kadomi Department of Radiology, Armed Forces Hospital Southern Region, Khamis Mushait, Saudi Arabia
  • Noor Munir Altaroubi College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20213267

Keywords:

Elastography, Ultrasound, Radiology, Esophageal varices, Diagnosis

Abstract

Despite that esophageal varices can be effectively detected by using upper gastrointestinal tract endoscopy, the procedure is invasive and requires the integration of adequate experience and training, and it is not suitable for many patients. Accordingly, ultrasound elastography has been developed and validated by many studies in the recent literature as effective and non-invasive modalities for the early observation and diagnosis of esophageal varices and the relevant hepatic diseases. In this study, we aim to conduct a literature review to furtherly elaborate on the role and validity of elastography ultrasound to screen and early detect esophageal varices. We have discussed the diagnostic efficacy of three different types of ultrasound elastography including two-dimensional shear wave elastography, point shear wave elastography, and transient elastography in detecting and early diagnosis of esophageal varies. Transient elastography (TE) has been reported to be efficacious and the simplest technique. However, it was reported with some limitations. These limitations could be compensated by the two-dimensional shear wave elastography and the point shear wave, Nevertheless, these two modalities need high levels of experience and are not widely available. Besides, there are a few investigations that have validated the efficacy of the latter in detecting esophageal varices. Accordingly, we encourage further investigation for a future relevance.

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Published

2021-08-27

How to Cite

Abdou, A. M., Alsafwani, D. J., Alamrousi, K. J., Muri, A. A., Almagrabi, A. H., Alenazi, F. T., Alabdullatif, A. A., Khabt, A.-K. A., Alhussain, A. K., Kadomi, N. N., & Altaroubi, N. M. (2021). Elastography ultrasound for screening and early detection of esophageal varices. International Journal Of Community Medicine And Public Health, 8(9), 4575–4579. https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20213267

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Section

Review Articles