A New Combined Non-invasive Method for Assessment of Liver Steatosis and Fibrosis in NAFLD Patients – Pilot Study

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical efficacy (sensitivity, specificity) of ultrasound-based imaging methods for the assessment of fibrosis and steatosis in patients with non-àlcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Sixty-six patients with NAFLD and 43 healthy volunteers (control group) were tested. Liver biopsy was used as a reference method for the evaluation of NAFLD. Liver stiffness measurement (LSM) with transient elastography (TE) and two-dimensional shear wave elastography (2D-SWE) was used to assess fibrosis. Steatosis was assessed by Controlled Attenuation Parameter (CAP) and EchoLevels (ELs). Using the ELs, two hepato-renal indices were calculated – the hepato-renal index difference (HRIdiff) and hepato-renal index ratio (HRIratio). Additionally, one serum biomarker was calculated – APRI. Cut-offs of cirrhosis (F4) were defined as follows: ≥ 9.64 kPa and ≥ 9.85 kPa for 2D-SWE and TE. Only 2D-SWE had a correlation for significant fibrosis – the cut-off was ≥ 6.50 kPa and for lack of significant fibrosis (F < 2) less than 5.26 kPa. Steatosis was diagnosed with a cut-off of 240.50 dB/m for CAP, and HRIdiff ≥ 0.39, and HRIratio ≤ 0.99 for ELs. Both types of SWE and the two methods for evaluation of ultrasound (US) attenuation have good correlation with fibrosis and steatosis in NAFLD.