A new quantitative ultrasonic method for diagnosis of chronic parenchymal liver disease

The degree of echogenicity of the hepatic parenchyma was measured by an objective method comparing patient's sonograms with a tissue-mimicking phantom obtained with available real-time ultrasound machines. A single sonographic image of the liver and the phantom was taken using identical setting in each case. The ratio of the mean density of the phantom to that of the liver was obtained. The mean of the ratio in 30 normal subjects was 1.04 +/- 0.01, in 26 patients with early alcoholic liver disease 1.23 +/- 0.04, and in 74 cirrhotic subjects 1.54 +/- 0.03, with a significant difference among the three groups (p less than 0.05). A significant correlation was also obtained between the ratio and a modified Child's classification (r = 0.553, p less than 0.05) in cirrhotic subjects. Follow-up studies were available in a limited number of patients with early alcoholic liver disease showing progression or improvement paralleling alcohol use. Using this method, ultrasound may have considerable potential in the diagnosis and follow-up of alcoholic liver disease.