TITLE:
The Clinical Value of Ultrasound Viscoelasticity Imaging for Non-Invasive Evaluation of Autoimmune Liver Diseases
AUTHORS:
Zutao Hu, Qiang Zhang
KEYWORDS:
Autoimmune Liver Diseases, Ultrasound Elastography, Shear-Wave Dispersion, Viscosity, Liver Fibrosis
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Biosciences and Medicines,
Vol.14 No.10,
October
23,
2026
ABSTRACT: Autoimmune liver diseases (AILD) primarily include autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cholangitis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, and overlap syndromes. The degree of liver fibrosis is closely associated with portal hypertension, decompensated liver function, and liver-related clinical outcomes; however, inflammatory activity, cholestasis, and biliary obstruction can all alter the mechanical properties of the liver, making it difficult to directly correlate a single liver stiffness measurement with histological fibrosis. Vibration-controlled transient elastography, point shear-wave elastography, and two-dimensional shear-wave elastography have accumulated substantial noninvasive evidence for fibrosis staging; meanwhile, shear-wave dispersion slope (SWDS) and the viscoelastic parameters derived from the model supplement mechanical information from the perspective of tissue energy dissipation. Available studies suggest that liver stiffness is sensitive to fibrosis, whereas dispersion or viscosity parameters may provide complementary information on inflammation and microstructural changes; nevertheless, direct evidence in autoimmune liver diseases is still derived mainly from small, single-center studies. Conventional elastography provides the fibrosis-focused clinical foundation, whereas SWDS and model-derived viscosity are the direct focus of the viscoelastic assessment discussed here. Building on an explanation of fibrosis staging and inflammation activity grading, this article discusses the principles of ultrasound viscoelastic imaging and its clinical applications in AILD, and explores the potential of combined multiparameter assessment.