Abstract
Marked liver steatosis, steatohepatitis, and significant fibrosis are risk factors for unfavorable outcomes in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). In this study, the diagnostic performance ofattenuation coefficient(AC), liver stiffness(LS), and dispersion slope (DS) was evaluated separately and combined in the diagnosis of liver steatosis and fibrosis in NAFLD suspects using biopsy or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a reference standard. Seventy-four NAFLD suspects were prospectively imaged with an Aplio i800 ultrasound scanner (Canon Medical Systems, Tustin, CA). AC, LS, and DS measurements were obtained from the right liver lobe. Thirty-four patients underwent liver biopsy, and 40 had MRI. There were 32 patients (43%) with liver steatosis and fibrosis (S+F), 22(30%) with steatosis (S), 5 (7%) with fibrosis (F), and 15 (20%) with normal liver (N). Mean ACs were significantly higher in steatotic livers (n=54) than in non-steatotic livers (n=20) (P<0.0001). LS and DS were significantly higher in patients with liver fibrosis (n=37) compared tonon-fibrotic livers (n=37) (P=0.0004 and P=0.0002, respectively). In detecting (S+F), the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROCC) was 0.87 for combined ultrasound parameters of LS and AC (negative predictive value [NPV]: 75%, positive predictive value [PPV]: 77%, P<0.0001). In detecting patients with liver steatosis and fibrosis stage ≥2, LS had an AUROCC of 0.93 (NPV: 87%, PPV: 82%, P<0.0001). In the biopsy group, 32% (11/34) were diagnosed with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). DS values showed a significant difference among patients with (n=23) or without (n=11) hepatocellular ballooning (P=0.02). AUROCC was 0.87 for combined ultrasound parameters of AC, LS, and DS with body mass index (BMI) in detecting NASH (NPV: 80%, PPV: 87%, P=0.0006). AC and LS showed high diagnostic value in detecting liver steatosis and fibrosis, respectively. The combined AC and LS values further improved the diagnostic accuracy in detecting NAFLD and high-risk NAFLD patients.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.