title: Ultrasonic elastography in clinical quantitative assessment of fatty liver.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the clinical application of ultrasonic elastography in quantitative assessment of fatty liver grading.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 105 patients with fatty liver were divided into mild group (n = 46), moderate group (n = 39), and severe group (n = 20). Forty-five healthy individuals served as a normal control group. All patients who underwent routine ultrasound scan and further ultrasonic elastography were evaluated accordingly to the evaluation standards for ultrasonic elastography. The ratio of surface areas of blue region/total surface area in the desired region was measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ultrasonic elastography technique, in comparison to traditional ultrasound, had a rather high consistence in grading of fatty liver [κ value = (95.3%-63.6%)/(1%-63.6%) = 0.87, P = 0.001]. The score of ultrasonic elastography increased with the severity of fatty liver with a sensitivity of 97.14% and a specificity of 91.11%. A significant difference was found in the ratio of surface areas of blue regions between different groups (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ultrasonic elastography can be used in quantitative assessment of the severity of fatty liver.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasonic Diagnosis, the First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, Liaoning Province, China.
authors.forename: Yin-Yan
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xue-Mei
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yi-Xia
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Guo-Cheng
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Ou
mesh_terms: D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity