Photo Credit: Nemes Laszlo

Shear wave elastography differentiates myelofibrosis (MF) from essential thrombocytopenia (ET) and polycythemia vera (PV) and healthy volunteers and may aid in diagnosing myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), according to findings published in the Journal of Ultrasound. Fabio Piscaglia, MD, PhD, and colleagues assessed spleen and liver stiffness using shear wave point (pSWE) and bidimensional (2DSWE) elastography in 218 people, including 143 with MPNs (MF, 29.4%; PV, 15.1%; ET, 21.1%), and 75 healthy volunteers. Results showed higher spleen and liver stiffness in patients with MF compared with healthy controls and other MPN types. Specifically, patients with MF had significantly elevated spleen (pSWE: 40.9 vs 26.3 kPa [P<0.001]; 2DSWE: 34.9 vs 20.1 kPa [P<0.001]) and liver (pSWE: 7.72 vs 5.52 kPa [P<0.001]; 2DSWE: 6.96 vs 5.01 kPa [P<0.001]) stiffness compared with healthy volunteers. Additionally, liver and spleen stiffness values correlated with bone marrow fibrosis. The findings suggest that SWE is useful for distinguishing MF and assessing fibrosis severity, according to Dr. Piscaglia and colleagues.