Evaluation of diffuse liver steatosis by ultrasound, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging: which modality is best?
OBJECTIVE
To compare ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) determination of diffuse liver steatosis.


METHODS
Quantification of liver steatosis on ultrasound, CT, and MRI was correlated with histopathology in 67 patients.


RESULTS
Opposed-phase MRI demonstrated the highest correlation with steatosis (0.68 and 0.69, P<.01; intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.93). Spearman's correlation (and intraclass correlation) coefficients were lowest for ultrasound [0.54, 0.33 (0.40)] and enhanced CT [0.33, 0.39 (0.97)].


CONCLUSIONS
Opposed-phase MRI demonstrated best overall performance for determining steatosis.
Qayyum
Aliya
A
Department of Radiology, University of California San Francisco, 505 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94143-0628, USA. aliya.qayyum@radiology.ucsf.edu
Chen
Daryl M
DM
Breiman
Richard S
RS
Westphalen
Antonio C
AC
Yeh
Benjamin M
BM
Jones
Kirk D
KD
Lu
Ying
Y
Coakley
Fergus V
FV
Callen
Peter W
PW
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014463:Ultrasonography; D055815:Young Adult