Ultrasound Based Elastography Techniques for the Evaluation of Nonalcoholic Liver Disease

Abstract

The number of NAFLD patients is increasing in the developed world and non-invasive modalities for their evaluation are needed. Ultrasound-based methods are very useful for this approach, starting with standard ultrasound used for steatosis detection, and continuing with new modalities for steatosis, fibrosis, and inflammation quantification. Modern ultrasound systems can quantify all these parameters in NAFLD patients, thus making ultrasound a real Multiparameter Ultrasound (MPUS). The performance of ultrasound-based methods is very well documented with liver stiffness assessment as a marker of fibrosis, and more recently, for quantification of steatosis and viscoelastic properties as a marker of inflammation.