Abstract
<jats:p>Introduction. Currently, liver steatosis detected by visual diagnostic methods or histologically, in combination with one or more cardiometabolic risk factors, is considered a serious condition in terms of prognosis. The clinical need for the use of non-invasive methods is determined by fact that timely diagnosis of liver steatosis may tend towards a favorable outcome. Aim. To evaluate various non-invasive diagnostic methods for liver steatosis and to identify the most informative and readily available quantitative assessments for clinical practice. Materials and Methods. For the purposes of this study, patients were selected, diagnosed with diffuse changes in the liver parenchyma using ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, and computed tomography, or those suspicious for such changes. In a prospective study, patients were evaluated based on their gender, age, anthropometric parameters, degree of liver steatosis, comorbid pathology, and findings obtained by laboratory and instrumental examination methods. SPSS 23 software package was used for statistical analysis. The median, as well as the first and third quartiles (Me [Q1; Q3]), were used as a measure of central tendency in the population. Mann-Whitney test, χ2 were used to assess differences between two independent samples. The sensitivity and specificity of the research methods used and the area under the ROC curve were computed. Results and Discussion. As a result of examining 60 patients with the diagnosed liver steatosis, it was found that most of them had cardiometabolic risk factors and changes in biochemical liver indicators. According to B-mode ultrasound, the frequency of hepato- and splenomegaly increased in patients with S2 (33.3% and 25.1%, respectively, χ2) and S3 (50.0% and 41.7%, respectively, χ2), compared with no steatosis. Analysis of magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography of the liver revealed both diffuse and focal forms of steatosis. Fat fraction test using magnetic resonance imaging showed that in 19 people (48.7%), the number of fat cells exceeded 6.5%. Among the reviewed archival data, S1 degree of steatosis was determined in 5 people (12.8%), S2 in 6 people (15.4%), and S3 in 8 people (20.5%). In ultrasound steatometry, the degree S2 steatosis was detected in 12 people (26.8%), while S3 was found in 24 people (52.2%). Conclusions. A comprehensive innovative study confirmed the usability of quantitative ultrasound steatometry. The result showed a good sound attenuation coefficient (TAI) (AUROC 0.722) for detecting steatosis S1 compared to the absence of steatosis.</jats:p>