Significance of Shear Wave Dispersion Slope Values Before Versus After Biliary Drainage in Patients With Obstructive Jaundice: A Single-Center Prospective Observational Cohort Study.

The shear wave dispersion (SWD) slope has become available in the clinical practice and is related to tissue viscosity. However, clinical evaluation using SWD was not yet performed for obstructive jaundice. We aimed to evaluate the change of SWD values between before and after biliary drainage in patients with obstructive jaundice. This prospective observational cohort study evaluated 20 patients with obstructive jaundice who underwent biliary drainage. The SWD and liver elasticity values were measured before versus after biliary drainage, comparing between days -5 and 0 (day 0), days 1 and 3 (day 2), and days 6 and 8 (day 7). The mean ± SD values of SWD measured at day 0, day 2, and day 7 were 15.3 ± 2.7, 14.2 ± 3.3, and 13.3 ± 2.4 m/s/kHz, respectively. Dispersion slope values were decreased significantly from day 0 to day 2, from day 2 to day 7, and from day 0 to day 7 (P < 0.05). Liver elasticity levels and serum hepatobiliary enzymes were additionally decreased significantly over time after biliary drainage. The correlations between SWD and liver elasticity values were strong (r = 0.91, P < 0.01). In conclusion, the SWD values decreased significantly over time after biliary drainage concomitant with liver elasticity.