Diagnostic Performance of Ultrasound Derived Fat Fraction for Detecting Hepatic Steatosis in Children using MR PDFF as the reference standard

Chronic liver disease in children is most frequently caused by metabolic-dysfunction associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD). MAFLD reflects excessive storage of fat in the liver. Liver fat content can be quantified using MRI based proton density fat fraction (PDFF), which is the imaging gold standard. MRI, however, has limited availability due to associated costs and longer exam duration compared to a routine abdominal examination using ultrasound. Ultrasound derived fat fraction (UDFF) is a unique quantitative ultrasound (QUS) technique that quantifies liver fat content in real time and in percentage similar to PDFF.

This session will provide an overview of the recent clinical study that assessed the accuracy of liver fat quantification using UDFF compared to PDFF in children undergoing clinically indicated MRI. Our study showed strong correlation between UDFF and PDFF. In children, a UDFF cutoff of 6% provides good sensitivity and specificity for detection of PDFF of ≥6%.