Severe hepatic steatosis promotes increased liver stiffness in the early stages of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The predictors of progression from steatosis to more advanced stages of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) remain unclear. We evaluated the association between the quantity of hepatic steatosis and longitudinal changes in liver stiffness measurements (LSMs) using magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) in patients with MASLD. METHODS: We retrospectively analysed patients with MASLD who underwent at least two serial MRE and magnetic resonance imaging-based proton density fat fraction (MRI-PDFF) examinations at least 1 year apart. Fine-Gray competitive proportional hazard regression was used to identify LSM progression and regression factors. RESULTS: A total of 471 patients were enrolled. Factors linked to LSM progression were steatosis grade 3 (MRI-PDFF ≥17.1%, adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 2.597; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.483-4.547) and albumin-bilirubin grade 2 or 3 (aHR 2.790; 95% CI 1.284-6.091), while the only factor linked to LSM regression was % decrease rate of MRI-PDFF ≥5% (aHR 2.781; 95% CI 1.584-4.883). Steatosis grade 3 correlated with a higher incidence rate of LSM progression than steatosis grade 1 (MRI-PDFF <11.3%) in patients with LSM stage 0 (<2.5 kilopascal [kPa]), and a % annual decrease rate of MRI-PDFF ≥5% correlated with a higher incidence rate of LSM regression than that of MRI-PDFF >-5% and <5% in patients with LSM stage 1 or 2-4 (≥2.5 kPa). CONCLUSIONS: Severe hepatic steatosis was linked to significant LSM progression in patients with MASLD and low LSM (<2.5 kPa).

Diagnostic performance of shear wave measurement in the detection of hepatic fibrosis: A multicenter prospective study.

AIM: This study aimed to establish the shear wave measurement (SWM) cut-off value for each fibrosis stage using magnetic resonance (MR) elastography values as a reference standard. METHODS: We prospectively analyzed 594 patients with chronic liver disease who underwent SWM and MR elastography. Correlation coefficients (were analyzed, and the diagnostic value was evaluated by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. Liver stiffness was categorized by MR elastography as F0 (<2.61 kPa), F1 (≥2.61 kPa, <2.97 kPa, any fibrosis), F2 (≥2.97 kPa, <3.62 kPa, significant fibrosis), F3 (≥3.62 kPa, <4.62 kPa, advanced fibrosis), or F4 (≥4.62 kPa, cirrhosis). RESULTS: The median SWM values increased significantly with increasing fibrosis stage (p < 0.001). The correlation coefficient between SWM and MR elastography values was 0.793 (95% confidence interval 0.761-0.821). The correlation coefficients between SWM and MR elastography values significantly decreased with increasing body mass index and skin-capsular distance; skin-capsular distance values were associated with significant differences in sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, or positive predictive value, whereas body mass index values were not. The best cut-off values for any fibrosis, significant fibrosis, advanced fibrosis, and cirrhosis were 6.18, 7.09, 8.05, and 10.89 kPa, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This multicenter study in a large number of patients established SWM cut-off values for different degrees of fibrosis in chronic liver diseases using MR elastography as a reference standard. It is expected that these cut-off values will be applied to liver diseases in the future.

Advanced fibrosis leads to overestimation of steatosis with quantitative ultrasound in individuals without hepatic steatosis.

PURPOSE: The effect of hepatic fibrosis stage on quantitative ultrasound based on the attenuation coefficient (AC) for liver lipid quantification is controversial. The objective of this study was to determine how the degree of fibrosis assessed by magnetic resonance (MR) elastography affects AC based on the ultrasound-guided attenuation parameter according to the grade of hepatic steatosis, using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-derived proton density fat fraction (MRIderived PDFF) as the reference standard. METHODS: Between February 2020 and April 2021, 982 patients with chronic liver disease who underwent AC and MRI-derived PDFF measurement as well as MR elastography were enrolled. Multiple regression was used to investigate whether AC was affected by the degree of liver stiffness. RESULTS: AC increased as liver stiffness progressed in 344 patients without hepatic steatosis (P=0.009). In multivariable analysis, AC was positively correlated with skin-capsule distance (P<0.001), MR elastography value (P=0.037), and MRI-derived PDFF (P<0.001) in patients without hepatic steatosis. In 52 of 982 patients (5%), the correlation between AC and MRIderived PDFF fell outside the 95% confidence interval for the regression line slope. Patients with MRI-derived PDFF lower than their AC (n=36) had higher fibrosis-4 scores, albumin-bilirubin scores, and MR elastography values than patients with MRI-derived PDFF greater than their AC (n=16; P=0.018, P=0.001, and P=0.011, respectively). CONCLUSION: AC is affected by liver fibrosis (MR elastography value ≥6.7 kPa) only in patients without hepatic steatosis (MRI-derived PDFF <5.2%). These values should be interpreted with caution in patients with advanced liver fibrosis.

A comparative study of hepatic steatosis using two different qualitative ultrasound techniques measured based on magnetic resonance imaging-derived proton density fat fraction.

AIM: This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of attenuation measurement (ATT; dual-frequency method) and improved algorithm of ATT (iATT; reference method) for the assessment of hepatic steatosis using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-derived proton density fat fraction (PDFF) as the reference standard. METHODS: We prospectively analyzed 427 patients with chronic liver disease who underwent ATT, iATT, or MRI-derived PDFF. Correlation coefficients were analyzed, and diagnostic values were evaluated by area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC). The steatosis grade was categorized as S0 (<5.2%), S1 (≥5.2%, <11.3%), S2 (≥11.3%, <17.1%), and S3 (≥17.1%) according to MRI-derived PDFF values. RESULTS: The median ATT and iATT values were 0.61 dB/cm/MHz (interquartile range 0.55-0.67 dB/cm/MHz) and 0.66 dB/cm/MHz (interquartile range 0.57-0.77 dB/cm/MHz). ATT and iATT values increased significantly as the steatosis grade increased in the order S0, S1, S2, and S3 (p < 0.001). The correlation coefficients between ATT or iATT values and MRI-derived PDFF values were 0.533 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.477-0.610) and 0.803 (95% CI 0.766-0.834), with a significant difference between them (p < 0.001). For the detection of hepatic steatosis of ≥S1, ≥S2, and ≥S3, iATT yielded AUROCs of 0.926 (95% CI 0.901-0.951), 0.913 (95% CI 0.885-0.941), and 0.902 (95% CI 0.869-0.935), with significantly higher AUROC values than for ATT (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: iATT showed excellent diagnostic performance for hepatic steatosis, and was strongly correlated with MRI-derived PDFF, with AUROCs of ≥0.900.

Combined ultrasound and magnetic resonance elastography predict hepatocellular carcinoma after hepatitis C virus eradication.

AIM: Elastography is an established, noninvasive method for measuring liver stiffness using to 2-D shear-wave elastography (2D-SWE) or magnetic resonance elastography (MRE). The aim of this study was to determine the usefulness of combined measurement using 2D-SWE and MRE to stratify the risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients who achieved hepatitis C virus eradication. METHODS: Five hundred and twenty-five patients who underwent 2D-SWE and MRE before antiviral therapy and who achieved eradication were enrolled. The optimal 2D-SWE and MRE cutoff values were determined using time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for predicting HCC development. Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) and a Cox proportional hazards model were used to adjust the cumulative incidence rate of HCC development for potential imbalances. RESULTS: Time-dependent ROC analysis showed that the optimal cut-off values of 2D-SWE and MRE for predicting HCC development were 11.7 and 4.5 kPa, respectively. The IPTW-adjusted cumulative incidence rate of HCC development in patients with both an 2D-SWE value ≥ 11.7 kPa and an MRE value ≥ 4.5 kPa had a higher hazard ratio (28.080; 95% confidence interval, 5.527-132.600; p < 0.001) than those with either an 2D-SWE value < 11.7 kPa or an MRE value < 4.5 kPa. CONCLUSIONS: The combined measurement of 2D-SWE and MRE was very effective for identifying patients at high risk of HCC development. US-based elastography should be performed first, and if the 2D-SWE value is high, MRE should then be carried out to confirm the degree of liver stiffness.

Liver Stiffness Measurements by 2D Shear-Wave Elastography: Effect of Steatosis on Fibrosis Evaluation.

BACKGROUND. Hepatic steatosis has been found not to affect liver stiffness measurements (LSM) from MR elastography (MRE). However, the effect of steatosis on LSM from 2D shear-wave elastography (SWE) remains controversial. OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of hepatic steatosis on the diagnostic performance of LSM from 2D SWE (LSM2D SWE) for evaluation of liver fibrosis with LSM from MRE (LSMMRE) as the reference standard. METHODS. This retrospective study included 888 patients (442 women, 446 men; median age, 67 years) with chronic liver disease who underwent LSM by both 2D SWE and MRE within a 3-month window. Steatosis was also assessed on ultrasound examinations by ultrasound-guided attenuation parameter (UGAP) and on MRI examinations by proton density fat fraction (PDFF). Fibrosis stages and steatosis grades were classified according to previously established thresholds. The effect of steatosis on LSM2D SWE was evaluated by Kruskal-Wallis tests with post hoc tests and ROC analysis. RESULTS. LSM2D SWE were significantly higher in patients with severe steatosis than those without steatosis by MRI PDFF among patients with F0 fibrosis (5.5 kPa [IQR, 4.7-6.0 kPa] vs 4.7 kPa [IQR, 4.2-5.5 kPa], p = .009) and F1 fibrosis (6.3 kPa [IQR, 6.0-7.2 kPa] vs 5.9 kPa [IQR, 5.0-6.6 kPa], p = .009). LSM2D SWE were significantly higher in patients with severe steatosis than those without steatosis by UGAP among patients with F1 fibrosis (6.6 kPa [IQR, 5.9-7.3 kPa] vs 5.9 kPa [IQR, 5.1-6.5 kPa], p = .008). Otherwise, LSM2D SWE did not vary significantly across steatosis grades at a given fibrosis stage (all p > .05). Sensitivity and specificity for ≥ F1 fibrosis were 63.8% and 91.5% in patients without versus 60.4% and 80.9% in patients with severe steatosis by MRI PDFF and were 62.4% and 91.5% in patients without versus 72.1% and 78.3% in patients with severe steatosis by UGAP. CONCLUSION. Severe hepatic steatosis may result in overestimation of LSM2D SWE in patients without or with mild steatosis, reducing the specificity of liver fibrosis detection. CLINICAL IMPACT. Assessment of UGAP at 2D SWE may help identify patients in whom LSM2D SWE should be assessed with caution. In patients with no or mild steatosis by 2D SWE and severe steatosis by UGAP, MRE helps provide a more reliable measure of liver fibrosis.

Accurate and rapid identification of feeding arteries with multidetector-row angiography-assisted computed tomography for transarterial chemoembolization for hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is an important treatment modality for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Accurate identification of feeding arteries and catheterization are necessary for achieving treatment efficacy, especially with selective TACE. However, this often requires multiple imaging studies. We evaluated the utility of a newly developed apparatus that combines multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT) and angiography (angio-MDCT) to facilitate TACE for treatment of HCC. METHODS: A total of 73 patients who underwent selective TACE with angio-MDCT were compared with 57 patients who had undergone selective TACE with single-row computed tomography assisted by angiography (angio-CT) in terms of the number of imaging studies needed to complete TACE. RESULTS: The mean number of digital subtraction arteriography (DSA) and CT studies required for characterization of feeding arteries before embolization was 3.53 (range 1-8) and 5.16 (range 2-11), respectively, with single-row angio-CT, and 1.67 (range 1-5) and 2.90 (range 1-5), respectively, with angio-MDCT. Fewer studies were needed in patients who underwent TACE with angio-MDCT (p < 0.0001 for both DSA and CT). Whereas single-row angio-CT failed to identify extrahepatic feeders in three patients (37.5%), all extrahepatic feeders could be identified with angio-MDCT. CONCLUSIONS: Angio-MDCT facilitates rapid and accurate identification of feeding arteries in patients undergoing TACE through the three-dimensional image analyses by the reconstruction with the workstation.

[Open drainage with Vacuum Assisted Closure( VAC) therapy for Aspergillus empyema after left upper lobectomy with adjuvant radiotherapy].

A 59-year-old man was diagnosed as Aspergillus empyema with fistula after left upper lobectomy and radiation therapy. His pyrexia was continued after conservative treatment with antifungal agents. Initially, fenestration and vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) therapy were performed. The Aspergillus terreusdisappeared and inflammatory reactions were normalized. Eight days after fenestration, pectoralis major muscle flap transposition was subsequently performed. His postoperative course was uneventful. No recurrent empyema was found 15 months after surgery.