Shear Wave Elastography for Assessment of Steatohepatitis and Hepatic Fibrosis in Rat Models of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate shear wave elastography (SWE) as a method for determining the severity of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and the stage of hepatic fibrosis, as well as the major determinants of liver elasticity among the various histologic and biomolecular changes associated with NAFLD. Rat NAFLD models with various degrees of NAFLD severity were created and imaged using SWE. The explanted livers were subjected to histopathologic evaluation and RNA expression analysis. Among the histologic and biomolecular findings, the fibrosis stage and the collagen RNA level were significant independent factors associated with liver elasticity (p < 0.001). Liver elasticity was effective in detecting non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and in determining fibrosis stage, and the corresponding areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves were 0.963 and 0.927-0.997, respectively. In conclusion, SWE is a potential non-invasive method for the detection of NASH and staging of hepatic fibrosis in patients with NAFLD.

• Authors: Bo-Kyeong Kang, Seung Soo Lee, Hyunhee Cheong, Seung Mo Hong, Kiseok Jang, Moon-Gyu Lee
• Journal: Ultrasound in medicine & biology (Ultrasound Med Biol) Vol. 41 Issue 12 Pg. 3205-15 (Dec 2015) ISSN: 1879-291X [Electronic] England
• PMID: 26349582 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2015 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Topics

• Animals
• Disease Models, Animal
• Elasticity Imaging Techniques
• Fatty Liver (diagnostic imaging)
• Liver (diagnostic imaging)
• Liver Cirrhosis (diagnostic imaging)
• Male
• Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (diagnostic imaging)
• ROC Curve
• Rats
• Rats, Sprague-Dawley
• Severity of Illness Index