Objective

The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of ultrasound and MR elastography, including a glossary of relevant terminology, a classification of elastography techniques, and a discussion of their respective strengths and limitations.

Conclusion

Elastography is an emerging technique for the noninvasive assessment of mechanical tissue properties. These techniques report metrics related to tissue stiffness, such as shear-wave speed, magnitude of the complex shear modulus, and the Young modulus.

Objective

The purpose of the article is to review the diagnostic performance of ultra-sound and MR elastography techniques for detection and staging of liver fibrosis, the main current clinical applications of elastography in the abdomen.

Conclusion

Technical and instrument-related factors and biologic and patient-related factors may constitute potential confounders of stiffness measurements for assessment of liver fibrosis. Future developments may expand the scope of elastography for monitoring liver fibrosis and predict complications of chronic liver disease.