In the USA and Western Europe, more than a third of the adult population must be considered overweight or obese [1]. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the hepatic manifestation of overweight, obesity and metabolic syndrome. It is the most common cause of chronic liver disease in both the adult and paediatric populations of Western industrialised nations and can be diagnosed in one in three adults [2].
Transient elastography (Fibroscan®), especially in combination with Controlled Attenuation Parameter (CAP) software, can reliably classify hepatic fibrosis and steatosis and is equivalent to the current gold standard for non-invasive assessment of steatosis, magnetic resonance imaging [3, 4, 5, 6].
Transient elastography is performed according to defined examination criteria and is simple and repeatable with a short examination time [7]. At the Leipzig study centre, transient elastography with CAP analysis was performed on some of the participants in the first and second examinations. In addition, a questionnaire was used to assess risk factors for NAFLD.
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- 2. Chalasani N, Younossi Z, Lavine JE, et al. The diagnosis and management of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: practice Guideline by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, American College of Gastroenterology, and the American Gastroenterological Association. Hepatology. 2012;55(6):2005-2023. doi:10.1002/hep.25762
- 3. Wong VW, Vergniol J, Wong GL, et al. Diagnosis of fibrosis and cirrhosis using liver stiffness measurement in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Hepatology. 2010;51(2):454-462. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20101745/
- 4. Friedrich-Rust M, Romen D, Vermehren J, et al. Acoustic radiation force impulse-imaging and transient elastography for non-invasive assessment of liver fibrosis and steatosis in NAFLD. Eur J Radiol. 2012;81(3):e325-e331. doi:10.1016/j.ejrad.2011.10.029
- 5 Sasso M, Miette V, Sandrin L, Beaugrand M. The controlled attenuation parameter (CAP): a novel tool for the non-invasive evaluation of steatosis using Fibroscan. Clin Res Hepatol Gastroenterol. 2012;36(1):13-20. doi:10.1016/j.clinre.2011.08.001
- 6. Karlas T, Petroff D, Garnov N, et al. Non-invasive assessment of hepatic steatosis in patients with NAFLD using controlled attenuation parameter and 1H-MR spectroscopy. PLoS One. 2014;9(3):e91987. Published 2014 Mar 17. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0091987
- 7. Boursier J, Zarski JP, de Ledinghen V, et al. Determination of reliability criteria for liver stiffness evaluation by transient elastography. Hepatology. 2013;57(3):1182-1191. doi:10.1002/hep.25993
