ACR Appropriateness Criteria^® Chronic Liver Disease

Because liver fibrosis can be treated, it is important to diagnose liver fibrosis noninvasively and monitor response to treatment. Although ultrasound (grayscale and Doppler) can diagnose cirrhosis, it does so unreliably using morphologic and sonographic features and cannot diagnose the earlier, treatable stages of hepatic fibrosis. Transient elastography, ultrasound elastography with acoustic radiation force impulse, and MR elastography are modalities that can assess for hepatic fibrosis. Although all international organizations recommend ultrasound for screening for hepatocellular carcinoma, ultrasound is particularly limited for identifying hepatocellular carcinoma in patients with obesity, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and nodular cirrhotic livers. In these patients, as well as patients who are on the liver transplant wait list, ultrasound is so limited that consideration can be made for screening for hepatocellular carcinoma with either MRI or multiphase CT. Additionally, patients who have been previously diagnosed with and treated for hepatocellular carcinoma require continued surveillance for recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma. The American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria are evidence-based guidelines for specific clinical conditions that are reviewed annually by a multidisciplinary expert panel. The guideline development and revision include an extensive analysis of current medical literature from peer-reviewed journals and the application of well-established methodologies (RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation or GRADE) to rate the appropriateness of imaging and treatment procedures for specific clinical scenarios. In those instances where evidence is lacking or equivocal, expert opinion may supplement the available evidence to recommend imaging or treatment.