Shear wave elastography to evaluate carotid artery elasticity in long‐term drinkers with varying degrees of alcoholic fatty liver disease

Objective To evaluate carotid artery elasticity in long‐term drinkers with varying degrees of alcoholic fatty liver disease (AFLD) by shear wave elastography (SWE). Methods Of the 92 drinkers with alcohol drinking for greater than or equal to 5 years, were fell into three groups depending on the liver ultrasound results: group B (without AFLD), group C (with mild AFLD), and group D (moderate‐to‐severe AFLD). Another 32 healthy adults were selected as the control group (group A). All participants had no significant carotid plaque. Gray scale ultrasound and color doppler ultrasound were used to obtain the left common carotid peak systolic velocity (PSV), carotid diastolic internal diameter (D d ), carotid intima‐media thickness (IMT), carotid systolic internal diameter (D s ) and the stiffness coefficient (β). Mean values of mean elastic modulus (ME mean ), minimum elastic modulus (ME min ), and maximum elastic modulus (ME max ) of the anterior wall of the left common carotid artery at end‐diastole were measured by SWE. Results D d , D s , and PSV among the four groups showed no differences. (all P > 0.05). Compared with groups A and B, ME min , ME max , and ME mean were significantly higher in group C (all P < 0.05), while IMT and β were not statistically different (all P > 0.05). ME mean , ME min , ME max , IMT, and β were significantly higher in group D compared with the other three groups (all P < 0.05). No significant differences were observed in IMT, β, ME mean , ME max , and ME min between groups A and B (all P > 0.05). Conclusions Shear wave elastography can provide a quantitative evaluation for the carotid artery elasticity in long‐term drinkers with varying degrees of AFLD.