A critical appraisal of the use of ultrasound in hepatic steatosis.

A critical appraisal of the use of ultrasound in hepatic steatosis. Expert Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2019 May 18;: Authors: Ballestri S, Nascimbeni F, Lugari S, Lonardo A, Francica G Abstract INTRODUCTION: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) spans steatosis through nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), fibrosis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). NAFLD carries an increased risk of cardio-metabolic and liver-related events accounting for a substantial economic burden. Given that the natural history of NAFLD is critically dependent on the stage of fibrosis, non-invasively identifying the subgroup of patients at a higher risk of progressive disease is key. Areas covered: This review highlights the recent developments in the use of ultrasound-based techniques in NAFLD and their performance in predicting metabolic derangements, cardiovascular risk and progression of liver disease, notably including diagnosis of fibrosing NASH, identification and treatment of HCC. Expert opinion: Our ability to identify NAFLD patients and to estimate steatofibrosis with various ultrasound-based techniques has undergone tremendous progress over the last few years. However, it is more difficult to capture the inflammatory component of NASH with such ultrasound-assisted techniques. Moreover, semi-quantitative, quantitative, elastographic and contrast-enhanced ultrasound techniques are increasingly being appreciated and made available but not a...
Source: Expert Review of Gastroenterology and Hepatology - Category: Gastroenterology Tags: Expert Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol Source Type: research