title: Tactile sensor is useful for estimating liver hardness and liver fibrosis compared with ultrasonography and computed tomography.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We examined whether conventional ultrasonography (US) and computed tomography (CT) were useful to evaluate liver hardness and hepatic fibrosis by comparing the results with those obtained by a tactile sensor using rats with liver fibrosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used 44 Wistar rats in which liver fibrosis was induced by intraperitoneal administration of thioacetamide. The CT and US values of each liver were measured before laparotomy. After laparotomy, a tactile sensor was used to measure liver hardness. We prepared Azan stained sections of each excised liver specimen and calculated the degree of liver fibrosis (HFI: hepatic fibrosis index) by computed color image analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The stiffness values and HFI showed a positive correlation (r=0.690, p<0.001), as did the tactile values and HFI (r=0.709, p<0.001).In addition, the stiffness and tactile values correlated positively with each other (r=0.814, p<0.001). There was no correlation between the CT values and HFI, as well as no correlation between the US values and HFI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We confirmed that it was difficult to evaluate liver hardness and HFI by CT or US examination, and considered that, at present, a tactile sensor is useful method for evaluating HFI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Organ Regulatory Surgery, Fukushima Medical University.
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Yohei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yazawa
authors.forename: Teruhide
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ishigame
authors.forename: Motoki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sassa
authors.forename: Tomoyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Monma
authors.forename: Tadashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takawa
authors.forename: Kensuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kumamoto
authors.forename: Izumi
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ohoki
authors.forename: Yuichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hatakeyama
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sakuma
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ono
authors.forename: Sadao
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Omata
authors.forename: Seiichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takenoshita
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006244:Hardness; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014110:Touch; D014463:Ultrasonography