The Diagnostic Value of Ultrasound-guided Attenuation Parameter (UGAP) in metabolic fatty liver disease

To evaluate the diagnostic value of ultrasound-guided attenuation parameter (UGAP) in metabolic fatty liver disease (MAFLD) and to explore the correlation between the attenuation coefficient (AC) value of UGAP and commonly used clinical obesity indicators.

A total of 121 subjects who had physical examinations from November 2021 to March 2022 were prospectively selected; the height, weight, and waist circumference (WC) of all subjects were collected, and conventional ultrasound and UGAP examinations for all subjects.

Under the standard of conventional ultrasound, among the 121 subjects, 53 had normal liver, 42 had mild fatty liver, 21 had moderate fatty liver, and 5 had severe fatty liver. The mean AC value of 121 patients was 0.66 ± 0.13 dB/cm/MHz. The best cut-off values for diagnosing mild, moderate, and severe fatty liver were 0.65dB/cm/MHz, 0.72dB/cm/MHz, and 0.83dB/cm/MHz, respectively. The area under the curve (AUC) values were 0.891, 0.929, and 0.914, respectively. When grouped by WC, there was a statistically significant difference in AC value between the normal group and the obese group (t=-4.675, P<0.001). Overall WC and within group WC were moderately correlated with the AC value of UGAP (P<0.001).

UGAP has a good diagnostic value in the quantitative evaluation of liver steatosis in MAFLD, and the change of WC can reflect the occurrence of liver steatosis to a certain extent.