title: Quantitative Ultrasound for Staging of Hepatic Steatosis in Patients on Home Parenteral Nutrition Validated with Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy: A Feasibility Study.
abstract: Patients on home parenteral nutrition are at risk for developing liver dysfunction, which is due partly to the accumulation of lipids in the liver (steatosis) and may progress to end-stage liver disease with overt liver failure. Therefore, a timely diagnosis with easy access to repeated assessment of the degree of liver steatosis is of great importance. A pilot study was performed in 14 patients on long-term home parenteral nutrition using the computer-aided ultrasound method. Ultrasound radio frequency data were acquired using a phased array transducer and were converted into conventional B-mode images. All patients were subjected to proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy measurement of liver fat content for reference. Computer-aided ultrasound parameters similar to those in a previous validation study in cows revealed significant correlations with fat content measured by magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The most significant parameters were the residual attenuation coefficient (R = 0.95, p < 0.001) and the lateral speckle size (R = 0.77, p = 0.021). These findings indicate the potential usefulness of computer-aided ultrasound for staging of hepatic steatosis.
authors.affiliation: Medical Ultrasound Imaging Centre (MUSIC), Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Electronic address: gert.weijers@radboudumc.nl.
authors.forename: Gerrit
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Weijers
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Geert
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wanten
authors.affiliation: Medical Ultrasound Imaging Centre (MUSIC), Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Johan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Thijssen
authors.affiliation: Medical Ultrasound Imaging Centre (MUSIC), Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Department of Pediatrics, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Marinette
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: van der Graaf
authors.affiliation: Medical Ultrasound Imaging Centre (MUSIC), Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Chris L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: de Korte
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016331:Parenteral Nutrition, Home / Q000009:adverse effects*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: 2-D ultrasound; B-Mode; Computer-aided ultrasound; Home parenteral nutrition; Liver; Magnetic resonance spectroscopy; Quantitative; Radiofrequency; Residual attenuation coefficient; Transcutaneous; Ultrasound; steatosis