Adult ; Fatty Liver ; diagnostic imaging ; physiopathology ; Female ; Humans ; Liver ; diagnostic imaging ; Liver Circulation ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color

High prevalence of diabetes mellitus in patients with liver cirrhosis has been reported in many studies. The aim of our study was to evaluate the relationship of hepatic fibrosis and steatosis assessed by transient elastography with diabetes in patients with chronic liver disease. The study population consisted of 979 chronic liver disease patients. Liver fibrosis and steatosis were assessed by liver stiffness measurement (LSM) and controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) on transient elastography. Diabetes was diagnosed in 165 (16.9%) of 979 patients. The prevalence of diabetes had significant difference among the etiologies of chronic liver disease. Higher degrees of liver fibrosis and steatosis, assessed by LSM and CAP score, showed higher prevalence of diabetes (F0/1 [14%], F2/3 [18%], F4 [31%], P<0.001; S0/1 [15%], S2 [17%], S3 [26%], P=0.021). Multivariate analysis showed that the independent predictive risk factors for diabetes were hypertension (OR, 1.98; P=0.001), LSM F4 (OR, 1.86; P=0.010), male gender (OR, 1.60; P=0.027), and age>50 yr (OR, 1.52; P=0.046). The degree of hepatic fibrosis but not steatosis assessed by transient elastography has significant relationship with the prevalence of diabetes in patients with chronic liver disease.
Causality ; Comorbidity ; Diabetes Complications/diagnosis/epidemiology/physiopathology ; Elastic Modulus ; Elasticity Imaging Techniques/methods/statistics & numerical data ; End Stage Liver Disease/*epidemiology/physiopathology/*ultrasonography ; Fatty Liver/*epidemiology/physiopathology/*ultrasonography ; Female ; Humans ; Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted/methods ; Incidence ; Liver/physiopathology/ultrasonography ; Liver Cirrhosis/*epidemiology/physiopathology/*ultrasonography ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Reproducibility of Results ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Risk Factors ; Sensitivity and Specificity

High prevalence of diabetes mellitus in patients with liver cirrhosis has been reported in many studies. The aim of our study was to evaluate the relationship of hepatic fibrosis and steatosis assessed by transient elastography with diabetes in patients with chronic liver disease. The study population consisted of 979 chronic liver disease patients. Liver fibrosis and steatosis were assessed by liver stiffness measurement (LSM) and controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) on transient elastography. Diabetes was diagnosed in 165 (16.9%) of 979 patients. The prevalence of diabetes had significant difference among the etiologies of chronic liver disease. Higher degrees of liver fibrosis and steatosis, assessed by LSM and CAP score, showed higher prevalence of diabetes (F0/1 [14%], F2/3 [18%], F4 [31%], P<0.001; S0/1 [15%], S2 [17%], S3 [26%], P=0.021). Multivariate analysis showed that the independent predictive risk factors for diabetes were hypertension (OR, 1.98; P=0.001), LSM F4 (OR, 1.86; P=0.010), male gender (OR, 1.60; P=0.027), and age>50 yr (OR, 1.52; P=0.046). The degree of hepatic fibrosis but not steatosis assessed by transient elastography has significant relationship with the prevalence of diabetes in patients with chronic liver disease.
Causality ; Comorbidity ; Diabetes Complications/diagnosis/epidemiology/physiopathology ; Elastic Modulus ; Elasticity Imaging Techniques/methods/statistics & numerical data ; End Stage Liver Disease/*epidemiology/physiopathology/*ultrasonography ; Fatty Liver/*epidemiology/physiopathology/*ultrasonography ; Female ; Humans ; Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted/methods ; Incidence ; Liver/physiopathology/ultrasonography ; Liver Cirrhosis/*epidemiology/physiopathology/*ultrasonography ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Reproducibility of Results ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Risk Factors ; Sensitivity and Specificity

OBJECTIVETo study the clinical manifestation and ultrasonic characteristics of liver, kidney and heart of five patients with acute arsenic poisoning.

METHODSThe activity of serum myocardial enzymes, function of liver and kidney, and urinary As concentrations were measured. HDI 3000 Enhanced, and Toshiba 38A two dimensional ultrasound was used to examine the ultrasonic echogram of heart, liver, kidney of the patients.

RESULTS(1) The arsenic concentrations in the urine (1.9 approximately 15.6 micromol/L) were higher than the normal value (1.17 micromol/L) in these patients (blood dialytic fluid of one patient with anuria was measured); (2) Four of them had increased WBC, or anemia, and abnormal urine routine to various degree; (3) The activities of serum myocardial enzymes (CK, AST, LDH and HBDH) in 4 patients were at least 2 items increased; (4) Serum bilirubin and urea nitrogen in all patients were increased; (5) The ultrasonic echogram of liver and kidney in these 5 patients showed abnormality to various degree, one of them had slight enlargements in left atrium and ventricle as well as a little pericardial fluid.

CONCLUSIONThe clinical manifestation and ultrasonic characteristics of liver, kidney, and heart were consistent with the pathologic changes in acute arsenic poisoning. Early blood dialysis may reduce visceral damage.

Acute Disease ; Adult ; Arsenic Poisoning ; complications ; diagnostic imaging ; physiopathology ; Heart ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Kidney ; diagnostic imaging ; physiopathology ; Liver ; diagnostic imaging ; physiopathology ; Male ; Ultrasonography

Chronic liver disease represents a major public health problem, accounting for significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. As prognosis and management depend mainly on the amount and progression of liver fibrosis, accurate quantification of liver fibrosis is essential for therapeutic decision-making and follow-up of chronic liver diseases. Even though liver biopsy is the gold standard for evaluation of liver fibrosis, non-invasive methods that could substitute for invasive procedures have been investigated during past decades. Transient elastography (TE, FibroScan(R)) is a novel non-invasive method for assessment of liver fibrosis with chronic liver disease. TE can be performed in the outpatient clinic with immediate results and excellent reproducibility. Its diagnostic accuracy for assessment of liver fibrosis has been demonstrated in patients with chronic viral hepatitis; as a result, unnecessary liver biopsy could be avoided in some patients. Moreover, due to its excellent patient acceptance, TE could be used for monitoring disease progression or predicting development of liver-related complications. This review aims at discussing the usefulness of TE in clinical practice.
Antiviral Agents/therapeutic use ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/epidemiology/physiopathology ; Chronic Disease ; *Elasticity Imaging Techniques ; Hepatitis B/drug therapy/physiopathology ; Hepatitis C/drug therapy/physiopathology ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis/*diagnosis/ultrasonography ; Liver Neoplasms/epidemiology/physiopathology ; Recurrence

OBJECTIVETo study the pathological and clinical features of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

METHODSGrades and stages of liver lesions in 41 patients with NAFLD were analyzed. The relationships between pathohistological features of the livers, serum biochemical parameters, ultrasound examination and other clinical data of the patients were studied.

RESULTSAmong the 41 patients with NAFLD (there were 21 with their liver fatty degeneration in grade 1, 15 in grade 2, and 5 in grade 3). There were 2 of grade 0, grade 1 had 25, grade 2 had 10, grade 3 had 3, and grade 4 had 1. Stage 0 of fibrosis was 20, stage 1 was 14, stage 2 was 4, stage 3 was 2, and stage 4 was 1. Degree of fatty degeneration was not positively associated with the body mass index (BMI) of the patients and the ultrasound findings in their livers. Grading of the inflammation was positively related to the alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels in the blood and ultrasound findings in their livers, but negatively to the platelet counts. Staging of fibrosis of the livers was positively related to the blood ALT, AST, GGT, and ALP, and negatively to triglyceride levels and platelet counts.

CONCLUSIONSDegree of liver fatty degeneration was not associated with grades of inflammation and staging of fibrosis of the liver. BMI, ALT and AST level, platelet counts, and ultrasound grades of fatty liver were associated with the liver histopathological changes of NAFLD patients. Liver biopsy is the essential way to make a diagnosis of NAFLD.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Biopsy, Needle ; Fatty Liver ; diagnosis ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Liver ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Ultrasonography

PURPOSE: We examined the relationship between portal venous velocity and hepatic-abdominal fat in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), using spectral Doppler ultrasonography (US) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this prospective study, 35 patients with NAFLD and 29 normal healthy adults (control group) underwent portal Doppler US. The severity of hepatic steatosis in patients with NAFLD was assessed by MRI through chemical shift imaging, using a modification of the Dixon method. Abdominal (intra-abdominal and subcutaneous) fat was measured by MRI. RESULTS: The difference in portal venous velocity between the patients with NAFLD and the control group was significant (p < 0.0001). There was no correlation between the degree of abdominal or hepatic fat and portal venous velocity (p > 0.05). There were strong correlations between the hepatic fat fraction and subcutaneous adiposity (p < 0.0001), intraperitoneal fat accumulation (p = 0.017), and retroperitoneal fat accumulation (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that patients with NAFLD have lower portal venous velocities than normal healthy subjects.
Abdominal Fat/pathology ; Adult ; Aged ; Blood Flow Velocity/*physiology ; Case-Control Studies ; Fatty Liver/*physiopathology/*ultrasonography ; Female ; Humans ; Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Obesity/complications ; Overweight/complications ; Portal Vein/*ultrasonography ; Prospective Studies ; *Ultrasonography, Doppler

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Bleeding from esophageal varices (EV) is a major cause of death in patients with liver cirrhosis. Endoscopic screening is recommended for diagnosing EV, but various noninvasive parameters can also be used to predict EV. The liver stiffness measurement (LSM), a noninvasive technique for estimating liver fibrosis, was recently reported to be strongly correlated with the hepatic venous pressure gradient. This study evaluated the usefulness of LSM for predicting the presence and size of EV in patients with cirrhosis. METHODS: The relationships of LSM with the presence and size of EV were analyzed in 112 patients with liver cirrhosis. Liver cirrhosis was diagnosed histologically or clinically. The presence and size of EV were assessed by endoscopy, and LSM was determined by the Fibroscan(R) technique. RESULTS: LSM was strongly correlated with the presence of EV (P<0.0001): the LSM value was 42.7+/-21.9 kPa (mean+/-standard deviation) in patients with EV (n=82) and 19.1+/-12.6 kPa in patients without EV (n=30). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.818 (95% CI, 0.732-0.904) for predicting the presence of EV, and an LSM value of 19.7 kPa was predictive of the presence of EV with a sensitivity of 87%, a specificity of 70%, a PPV of 89%, and a NPV of 66%. However, there was a weak correlation between LSM and the size of EV. CONCLUSIONS: LSM is useful for predicting the presence of EV in patients with cirrhosis but not their size.
Adult ; Aged ; Elasticity ; Esophageal and Gastric Varices/etiology/*ultrasonography ; Female ; Hepatic Veins ; Humans ; Liver/*ultrasonography ; Liver Cirrhosis/*complications/physiopathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Portal Pressure ; Predictive Value of Tests ; ROC Curve ; Severity of Illness Index

Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Hemodynamics ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; complications ; Humans ; Hypertension, Portal ; diagnostic imaging ; physiopathology ; Liver Cirrhosis ; diagnostic imaging ; physiopathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Portal Vein ; diagnostic imaging ; physiopathology ; Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color ; Venous Pressure

Adult ; Aged ; Blood Flow Velocity ; Esophageal and Gastric Varices ; complications ; physiopathology ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage ; diagnostic imaging ; etiology ; physiopathology ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Hypertension, Portal ; diagnostic imaging ; etiology ; physiopathology ; Liver Cirrhosis ; complications ; Liver Diseases ; complications ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Portal System ; diagnostic imaging ; physiopathology ; Spleen ; diagnostic imaging ; physiopathology ; Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color