Comparison of Shear Wave Elastography Measurements in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients and Healthy Volunteers.

Abstract

To evaluate renal parenchymal stiffness using 2D shear wave elastography (SWE) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and to investigate the correlation between SWE results and demographic as well as laboratory findings. We evaluated 41 CKD patients and 40 controls who underwent abdominal ultrasound (US) between December 2020 and November 2022. SWE measurements were performed by a single radiologist, assessing renal stiffness in the lower pole, middle section, and upper pole of each kidney. The mean stiffness values were calculated from at least six measurements per kidney. Laboratory data, including glomerular filtration rate (GFR), serum urea, and creatinine levels, were obtained. Mann-Whitney U and Spearman correlation tests were used for statistical analysis. CKD patients (mean age: 66 years) showed significantly higher cortical stiffness compared with controls (15.6 kPa vs. 5.5 kPa, p < 0.001). A positive correlation was found between stiffness and serum urea/creatinine levels, while an inverse correlation was observed with GFR (p < 0.001). A negative correlation was observed between kidney size and SWE (r = -0.215, p = 0.054), while parenchymal thickness showed a stronger and statistically significant inverse relationship with SWE (r = -0.301, p = 0.006). No significant correlation was found with age or gender (p > 0.05). SWE is a reliable, noninvasive method for assessing renal fibrosis in CKD. With standardization, it could become a valuable tool in routine CKD evaluation.