The initial study of quantitative evaluation of the degree of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by acoustic radiation force impulse imaging

Objective To investigate the clinical value of the acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) technique in the quantitative evaluation of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.Methods 76 patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and 30 normal healthy controls were examined using acoustic radiation force Impulse technique.Results The parameter of ARFI in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P<0.01) .In non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients, there were significant differences in the parameter of ARFI among the mild, moderate and severe fatty liver groups (P<0.01) .The difference in ARFI between the severe group and other two groups was significant (P<0.01) .A positive correlation was found between the stiffness of the liver and the sonography grade of fatty liver (r=0.453, P<0.01) .The ARFI parameter of the liver increased along with an increase in the degree of fatty liver.Conclusion Acoustic radiation force impulse technique not only can examine the stiffness of the liver noninvasively, but also has potential value for quantitative evaluation of the degree of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.