Usefulness of two-dimensional shear wave elastography in diagnosing hepatic veno-occlusive disease in pediatric patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Purpose This study aimed to evaluate the usefulness of two-dimensional shear wave elastography (2D-SWE) in diagnosing hepatic veno-occlusive disease (VOD) in pediatric patients. Methods This study retrospectively included pediatric patients who underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) between November 2019 and January 2021. All 34 patients (8.7±5.0 years) were examined using 2D-SWE for an initial diagnosis. A subgroup analysis was performed using the data from follow-up examinations of patients diagnosed with VOD. The characteristics of the initial VOD diagnosis were compared with the longitudinal changes observed in VOD patients who underwent multiple ultrasound examinations. Results In total, 19 patients were diagnosed with VOD at 17.6±9.4 days after HSCT. All VOD patients showed hepatomegaly, ascites, and gallbladder wall thickening. Liver stiffness was higher in VOD patients than in non-VOD patients (12.4±1.1 vs. 6.3±0.8 kPa, P