In vivo 3T spectroscopic quantification of liver fat content in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: Correlation with biochemical method and morphometry.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The clinical application of liver fat quantification has increased in recent years, paralleling the epidemic increase in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. The aim of this study was to perform a diagnostic evaluation of spectroscopy by comparing its measurement of total lipid content with that from liver biopsies and morphometry in normal subjects and patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
METHODS: Patients with symptomatic cholelithiasis underwent 3T MR cholangiography with spectroscopic quantification of TLC. A laparoscopic cholecystectomy was performed on the day of admission, with liver samples taken during surgery. Microcolorimetric assessment quantified lipid content in liver samples and morphometric evaluation in stained slides. Statistical analysis included bivariate correlation, regression, and ROC analysis.
RESULTS: The study was conducted in 18 patients, 5 men (mean age, 35.2+/-11.03 years; range, 27-54 years) and 13 women (mean age, 46.77+/-11.77 years; range, 21-61 years). Using a cut-off value >5% for fat content, 8 patients presented with steatosis and 10 patients presented with normal liver fat content. A significant correlation was observed between fat spectroscopy and lipid content (r=0.876, p<0.001). A lower and non-significant correlation was observed between lipid content and morphometry (r=0.190, p>0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: The accuracy of spectroscopy in assessing fat concentration with a cut-off level of 7.48% was 100%. Spectroscopy showed a strong and significant correlation with lipid content. It may reliably replace liver biopsy for the assessment of liver fat content.