Noninvasive diagnosis of progressive nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease ( NAFLD) is characterized by the pathological feature of hepatocyte fatty degeneration and lipid accumulation, and liver histopathology evolves from simple liver fatty degeneration to steatohepatitis with hepatocellular injury and finally progresses to liver fibrosis, liver cirrhosis, and even liver cancer. NAFLD is closely associated with metabolic syndrome and colorectal tumors and can even lead to disability and death, and therefore, it is of great importance to diagnose nonalcoholic steatohepatitis ( NASH) as early as possible and clarify liver fibrosis degree. As the gold standard for determining the liver histopathological grade and stage of NAFLD, liver biopsy has always been a main method for the diagnosis of liver fibrosis. However, the limitations of liver biopsy have greatly promoted the rapid development of noninvasive diagnostic techniques in recent years. The sensitivity and specificity of serology models and imaging tests in the diagnosis of NASH and early-stage liver fibrosis need to be improved. This article reviews the advances in noninvasive diagnostic methods for progressive NAFLD.