BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to explore transient elastography (TE) with quantitative hepatitis B surface antigen (qHBsAg) for detecting advanced hepatic fibrosis.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: This was a single-center prospective real-life analysis of 111 treatment-naïve chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients enrolled into the Establishment of Non-invasive Diagnosis Criteria and Model of Hepatitis B Virus-related Cirrhosis Study.

RESULTS: There were significant correlations between TE, qHBsAg, and fibrosis. Both qHBsAg and TE were identified as independent predictors for advanced fibrosis. In receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis, TEqHBsAg (combination of TE and qHBsAg) resulted in the highest area under the receiver-operator curve (AUC) (0.912), mainly due to increased specificity. Using the optimal cut-off, TEqHBsAg provided a sensitivity of 86.7%, and increased specificity from 78.7% to 85.1%.

CONCLUSIONS: Combining TE with qHBsAg enhances specificity in identifying advanced fibrosis in treatment-naïve CHB patients.

Keywords: Elasticity Imaging Techniques - methods, Biopsy, Hepatitis B Surface Antigens - blood, Hepatitis B virus - isolation & purification, Hepatitis B, Chronic - diagnosis, Liver - pathology, Liver Cirrhosis - pathology, Prospective Studies, ROC Curve