Noninvasive imaging assessment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: Focus on liver scintigraphy
Open Access
- 21 April 2015
- journal article
- Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. in World Journal of Gastroenterology
- Vol. 21 (15), 4432-4439
- https://doi.org/10.3748/wjg.v21.i15.4432
Abstract
Noninvasive diagnoses of nonalcoholic fatty-liver disease (NAFLD) involve the use of serologic markers and imaging methods, such as conventional ultrasonography (US), computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging. Although these methods are reliable for the noninvasive detection of moderate to severe fatty changes in the liver, they are not reliable for detecting nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and fibrosis. New imaging technologies, such as US-based transient elastography, acoustic radiation force impulse and magnetic resonance-based elastography, can reportedly be used to determine the severity of liver fibrosis associated with NASH. In this context, the field of nuclear medicine through liver scintigraphy has recently been proposed, and is being explored for use in the diagnosis of NASH. More importantly, nuclear medicine may contribute to the distinction between simple steatosis and NASH. For example, the enhanced release of cytokines and the decrease in the phagocytic activity of Kupffer cells play important roles in the pathogenesis of NASH. Removal of technetium-99m colloid from circulation by Kupffer cell phagocytosis therefore provides a valuable imaging technique. Thus, nuclear medicine is poised to provide useful tools for the evaluation of patients with NAFLD. However, the evidence is still scarce, and more studies with larger samples are needed to identify their role before they are used in clinical practice.Keywords
This publication has 70 references indexed in Scilit:
- Principles and clinical application of ultrasound elastography for diffuse liver diseaseUltrasonography, 2014
- Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse and Supersonic Shear Imaging Versus Transient Elastography for Liver Fibrosis AssessmentJapanese Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2013
- The Relevance of Liver Histology to Predicting Clinically Meaningful Outcomes in Nonalcoholic SteatohepatitisClinics in Liver Disease, 2012
- Can Nash Be Diagnosed, Graded, and Staged Noninvasively?Clinics in Liver Disease, 2012
- The value of pre-operative magnetic resonance spectroscopy in the assessment of steatohepatitis in patients with colorectal liver metastasisJournal of Hepatology, 2012
- Noninvasive evaluation of hepatic fibrosis using acoustic radiation force-based shear stiffness in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver diseaseJournal of Hepatology, 2011
- Is it better to use two elastographic methods for liver fibrosis assessment?World Journal of Gastroenterology, 2011
- Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: US-based Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse ElastographyRadiology, 2010
- Magnetic Resonance Elastography for the Noninvasive Staging of Liver FibrosisGastroenterology, 2008
- Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis: A Proposal for Grading and Staging The Histological LesionsThe American Journal of Gastroenterology, 1999