{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,30]],"date-time":"2026-04-30T06:22:11Z","timestamp":1777530131240,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":26,"publisher":"Wiley","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2014,1,1]],"date-time":"2014-01-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1388534400000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/3.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["BioMed Research International"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2014]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>In our study, we evaluated the feasibility of a new sampling method for splenic stiffness (SS) measurement by Quantitative Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse Elastography (Virtual Touch Tissue Quantification (VTTQ)).We measured SS in 54 patients with HCV-related cirrhosis of whom 28 with esophageal varices (EV), 27 with Chronic Hepatitis C (CHC) F1\u2013F3, and 63 healthy controls. VTTQ-SS was significantly higher among cirrhotic patients with EV (3.37\u2009m\/s) in comparison with controls (2.19\u2009m\/s,<mml:math xmlns:mml=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1998\/Math\/MathML\" id=\"M1\"><mml:mi>P<\/mml:mi><mml:mo>&lt;<\/mml:mo><mml:mn fontstyle=\"italic\">0.001<\/mml:mn><\/mml:math>), CHC patients (2.37\u2009m\/s,<mml:math xmlns:mml=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1998\/Math\/MathML\" id=\"M2\"><mml:mi>P<\/mml:mi><mml:mo>&lt;<\/mml:mo><mml:mn fontstyle=\"italic\">0.001<\/mml:mn><\/mml:math>), and cirrhotic patients without EV (2.7\u2009m\/s,<mml:math xmlns:mml=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1998\/Math\/MathML\" id=\"M3\"><mml:mi>P<\/mml:mi><mml:mo>&lt;<\/mml:mo><mml:mn fontstyle=\"italic\">0.001<\/mml:mn><\/mml:math>). Moreover, VTTQ-SS was significantly higher among cirrhotic patients without EV in comparison with both controls (<mml:math xmlns:mml=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1998\/Math\/MathML\" id=\"M4\"><mml:mi>P<\/mml:mi><mml:mo>&lt;<\/mml:mo><mml:mn fontstyle=\"italic\">0.001<\/mml:mn><\/mml:math>) and CHC patients (<mml:math xmlns:mml=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1998\/Math\/MathML\" id=\"M5\"><mml:mi>P<\/mml:mi><mml:mo>&lt;<\/mml:mo><mml:mn fontstyle=\"italic\">0.01<\/mml:mn><\/mml:math>). The optimal VTTQ-SS cut-off value for predicting EV was 3.1\u2009m\/s (AUROC = 0.96, sensitivity 96.4%, specificity 88.5%, positive predictive value 90%, negative predictive value 96%, positive likelihood ratio 8.36, and negative likelihood ratio 0.04). In conclusion, VTTQ-SS is a promising noninvasive and reliable diagnostic tool to screen cirrhotic patients for EV and reduce the need for upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. By using our cut-off value of 3.1\u2009m\/s, we would avoid endoscopy in around 45% of cirrhotic subjects, with significant time and cost savings.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1155\/2014\/365982","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2014,3,4]],"date-time":"2014-03-04T16:06:36Z","timestamp":1393949196000},"page":"1-8","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":27,"title":["A New Sampling Method for Spleen Stiffness Measurement Based on Quantitative Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse Elastography for Noninvasive Assessment of Esophageal Varices in Newly Diagnosed HCV-Related Cirrhosis"],"prefix":"10.1155","volume":"2014","author":[{"given":"Leonardo","family":"Rizzo","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Ultrasuoni Diagnostic Medical Center, 95100 Catania, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Massimo","family":"Attanasio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Mathematics and Statistics \u201cS. Vianelli\u201d, University of Palermo, viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6764-567X","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Marilia Rita","family":"Pinzone","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical and Molecular Biomedicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Catania, Via Palermo 636, 95125 Catania, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Massimiliano","family":"Berretta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Institute IRCCS, Via Franco Gallini 2, 33081 Aviano, Italy"},{"name":"Euro-Mediterranean Institute of Science and Technology (IEMEST), Via Emerico Amari 123, 90139 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Michele","family":"Malaguarnera","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Center \u201cThe Great Senescence\u201d, University of Catania, 95125 Catania, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Aldo","family":"Morra","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Radiological Diagnostic Center, \u201cEuganea Medica\u201d, 35100 Padova, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Luca","family":"L'Abbate","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Mathematics and Statistics \u201cS. Vianelli\u201d, University of Palermo, viale delle Scienze, 90128 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Luca","family":"Balestreri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Radiology, National Cancer Institute IRCCS, Via Franco Gallini 2, 33081 Aviano, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Giuseppe","family":"Nunnari","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical and Molecular Biomedicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Catania, Via Palermo 636, 95125 Catania, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Bruno","family":"Cacopardo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical and Molecular Biomedicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Catania, Via Palermo 636, 95125 Catania, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"311","reference":[{"key":"1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1478-3231.2008.01934.x"},{"key":"2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S1473-3099(05)70216-4"},{"key":"3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jhep.2008.01.021"},{"key":"4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0168-8278(02)00420-8"},{"key":"5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.gie.2006.03.007"},{"key":"6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1055\/s-2006-951603"},{"issue":"10","key":"7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"975","DOI":"10.1016\/S0399-8320(05)88170-9","volume":"29","year":"2005","journal-title":"Gastroenterologie Clinique et Biologique"},{"key":"8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1053\/jhep.2003.50346"},{"key":"9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/gut.52.8.1200"},{"key":"10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s10620-011-1660-8"},{"key":"11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3233\/DMA-2011-0835"},{"key":"12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/ajg.2011.341"},{"issue":"4","key":"17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"519","DOI":"10.1016\/S1665-2681(19)31466-8","volume":"11","year":"2012","journal-title":"Annals of Hepatology"},{"key":"18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1478-3231.2011.02736.x"},{"issue":"1","key":"19","first-page":"92.e2","volume":"144","year":"2013","journal-title":"Gastroenterology"},{"key":"20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jhep.2010.01.004"},{"key":"21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S1590-8658(02)80246-8"},{"key":"22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1053\/j.gastro.2012.05.035"},{"key":"23","series-title":"Oxford Statistical Science Series","year":"2003"},{"key":"24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1191\/096228099673819272"},{"issue":"8","key":"25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1245","DOI":"10.7863\/jum.2012.31.8.1245","volume":"31","year":"2012","journal-title":"Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine"},{"issue":"3","key":"26","first-page":"213","volume":"12","year":"2010","journal-title":"Medical Ultrasonography"},{"key":"27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2174\/18715206113136660342"},{"key":"28","first-page":"1257","volume":"16","year":"2012","journal-title":"European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences"},{"key":"29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1634\/theoncologist.2010-0400"},{"issue":"2","key":"30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"120","DOI":"10.2174\/157016211795569159","volume":"9","year":"2011","journal-title":"Current HIV Research"}],"container-title":["BioMed Research International"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"http:\/\/downloads.hindawi.com\/journals\/bmri\/2014\/365982.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"http:\/\/downloads.hindawi.com\/journals\/bmri\/2014\/365982.xml","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"http:\/\/downloads.hindawi.com\/journals\/bmri\/2014\/365982.pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2019,8,8]],"date-time":"2019-08-08T00:41:51Z","timestamp":1565224911000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"http:\/\/www.hindawi.com\/journals\/bmri\/2014\/365982\/"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2014]]},"references-count":26,"alternative-id":["365982","365982"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1155\/2014\/365982","relation":{},"ISSN":["2314-6133","2314-6141"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2314-6133","type":"print"},{"value":"2314-6141","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2014]]}}}