ABSTRACT
We have previously reported a non-invasive method that would be clinically applicable for measurement of speed of sound (SOS) in the liver. The objective of the present study was to confirm the utility of this new method for assessing over time the SOS in liver with progressive steatohepatitis of different grades and stages. Rats were divided into two groups-a control group and a steatohepatitis group-prepared by keeping the rats on a methionine and choline-deficient diet for 43 wk. The SOS through the liver tissue was measured using the new method in comparison with a pulse-receiver as the standard. The SOS through liver with steatohepatitis temporarily decreased with the fat deposition level and then increased in parallel with the progression of inflammation and fibrosis. Monitoring the change in SOS through liver tissue in individual patients with fatty liver would have considerable potential for assisting the non-invasive detection of early-stage steatohepatitis.
Subject(s)
Liver/diagnostic imaging , Liver/physiopathology , Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/diagnostic imaging , Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/physiopathology , Ultrasonography/methods , Animals , Disease Models, Animal , Rats , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , SoundABSTRACT
The speed of sound correlates well with the fat content of the liver. Therefore, non-invasive quantification of sound speed in the liver might be of diagnostic value. Here we describe a new non-invasive method that would be clinically applicable for measurement of sound speed in the liver. Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into two groups: a control group and a fatty liver group prepared by keeping the rats on a choline-deficient diet for 6 wk. The livers were subjected to pathologic and biochemical analysis; the speed of sound through the liver tissue was measured using our proposed method and a pulser-receiver as standard. Our results indicated that use of the proposed method makes it feasible to diagnose fatty liver with good accuracy on the basis of sound speed. This approach would have considerable potential for non-invasive diagnosis of fatty liver and would be a valuable adjunct to conventional liver diagnostic procedures.