Ultrasound-derived fat fraction and automated point shear-wave elastography in diagnosing intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy and preeclampsia.

Authors

Ke-Xiong Niu, Jing-Jing Ye, Wen-Dong Zhang, Bin Ma, Tian-Gang Li

Published in

BMC pregnancy and childbirth. Jul 16, 2026. Epub Jul 16, 2026.

Abstract

To evaluate the diagnostic value of Ultrasound-derived fat fraction (UDFF) and Automatic point Shear Wave Elastography (Auto pSWE) for intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) and preeclampsia (PE).
This prospective study included 135 healthy pregnant women and patients with ICP and PE. Data collected included medical history, anthropometry, liver ultrasound, UDFF, Elastic Modulus (E), Shear Wave Velocity (SWV), and biochemical parameters. Each ICP or PE case was matched 1:1 with a healthy control by age (± 2 years) and gestational age (± 1 week). Differences in UDFF, Auto pSWE, and markers of liver and endothelial function were analyzed among ICP, PE, and healthy controls. The diagnostic value of UDFF and Auto pSWE was evaluated using univariate, correlation, and multivariate logistic regression analyses, and sensitivity, specificity, and optimal cutoffs were determined by ROC analysis.
(1) Significant differences were observed between the ICP and PE groups and the control group in clinical indicators such as BMI, ALT, TBA, T-Bil, PT, and ALB (P < 0.05).(2) UDFF, E, and SWV parameters showed significant differences between the ICP, PE, and control groups (P < 0.01). E was identified as the preferred screening marker for ICP, with an optimal cutoff value of 7.471 kPa. UDFF and E were independently associated with PE; however, UDFF showed stronger, moderate-to-good performance for assessing PE severity, while E provided complementary stiffness information.
UDFF and Auto pSWE non-invasively quantify hepatic fat and stiffness in pregnancy and demonstrate clinically useful accuracy for diagnosing and staging ICP and PE, supporting their role as quantitative screening tools.

PMID:
42458326
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 16 Jul 2026.

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