The Assessment of Hepatic Steatosis Using Ultrasound-Based Techniques: Focus on Fat Quantification

Rou, Woo Sun; Rou, Woo Sun

¹Department of Internal Medicine, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon, Republic of Korea , Daejeon, Korea
²Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chungnam National University Sejong Hospital, Sejong, Republic of Korea, Sejong, Korea
³Chungnam National University Sejong Hospital , Sejong-si, Korea

Address for Correspondence:

Woo Sun Rou ,Tel: 044-995-4770, Fax: 0449954770, Email: rws00@cnuh.co.kr

Received: 21 April 2024; Accepted: 9 May 2024. Published online: 9 May 2024.

ABSTRACT

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic disease (MASLD) is the most common chronic liver disease around the world, affecting more than 30% of global population, and associated with increased liver-related morbidity and mortality and extrahepatic complications. With the increasing prevalence of MASLD, there is an urgent need for accessible and non-invasive methods that can accurately detect hepatic steatosis. Currently, liver biopsy and MRI-PDFF are considered reference standards for diagnosing hepatic steatosis, but their invasiveness or limited accessibility imposes limitations on their widespread use. Ultrasound (US) can serve as a promising alternative due to relative cost-effectiveness and widespread accessibility. Recently, quantitative US technology has been developed to measure steatosis by detecting changes in various acoustic properties associated with hepatic steatosis and commercialized by several vendors, making it readily accessible. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of US-based methods currently available for detecting and grading hepatic steatosis, discussing their diagnostic performance and utilization.

Keywords: Ultrasound; Steatosis; Fatty liver; Quantification; Attenuation