Sound waves may replace the needle in liver scarring tests
NCT ID NCT06867731
First seen Sep 17, 2026 · Last updated Sep 18, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether a sound-wave technique called shear wave elastography, performed during a standard upper endoscopy, can measure liver and spleen stiffness and grade liver fibrosis. Participants are adults with known or suspected cirrhosis who are already scheduled for an endoscopic ultrasound and liver biopsy. Researchers compare the elastography readings, taken with different amounts of pressure, against the biopsy results to see if the sound-wave method is a reliable stand-in for tissue sampling.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- endosonographic shear wave elastography, a sound-wave technique performed during an upper endoscopy
- What this could lead to
- If it works, doctors could grade liver fibrosis during a routine endoscopy and rely less on needle biopsy.
- What could go wrong
- The technique may not match biopsy results closely enough, and pressure applied during the scan could affect the readings. This is a single-center study of 124 people, so the findings may not apply everywhere.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Participants
-
124 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
-
Jan 2025
- Finished
-
Dec 2025
- Lead sponsor
-
Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
Who is studied
Patients undergoing standard-of-care upper endoscopic ultrasound for liver biopsy or for other interventions in patients with known cirrhosis
- Ages
-
18 years and older
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Age \> 18 years (irrespective of sex) * Patients determined clinically to have liver cirrhosis needing EUS for other reasons * Patients determined clinically to be candidates for EUS guided liver biopsy * Elevated liver enzymes without obvious etiology * Clinical concern for cirrhosis requiring histological confirmation * Patients with known cirrhosis without diagnostic dilemma * Ability to provide informed consent and willing to participate Exclusion Criteria: * Surgically altered foregut anatomy which precludes safe endoscopic liver biopsy * Coagulopathy with INR greater than 1.6 in patients on anticoagulant therapy * Thrombocytopenia with platelet count less than 50,000/mL * Pregnancy (positive urine pregnancy test in females of childbearing age)
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Cirrhosis are added.
By submitting, you agree to our Terms of use
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center
Spokane, Washington, 99204, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Underactive thyroid may worsen liver scarring in fatty liver disease
- Ultrasound may replace invasive test for dangerous liver complication
- Could a wearable zapper quiet cirrhosis pain without drugs?
- Can a new ultrasound device spot liver damage without a biopsy?
- A needle through the gut could replace the standard liver pressure test
- Can two experimental drugs be used safely in people with cirrhosis?