Gut Liver.  2015 May;9(3):405-410. 10.5009/gnl14202.

Usefulness of the Controlled Attenuation Parameter for Detecting Liver Steatosis in Health Checkup Examinees

• Kim JK
• Lee KS
• Choi JR
• Chung HJ
• Jung DH
• Lee KA
• Lee JI

• KMID: 2155649
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5009/gnl14202

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS
The controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) implemented in FibroScan(R) is reported to be a non-invasive means of detecting steatosis (>10% steatosis). We aimed to evaluate the usefulness of CAP in detecting steatosis among health checkup examinees and to assess its correlation with ultrasonography (US).
METHODS
Consecutive CAP results were retrospectively collected. A total of 280 subjects were included.
RESULTS
Fatty liver was detected in 119 subjects (42.5%) by US, whereas it was detected in 160 subjects (57.1%) by the CAP. The numbers of subjects with S0:S1:S2:S3 steatosis according to the CAP value were 120:59:58:43, respectively. The mean CAP values were 203.34+/-28.39 dB/m for S0, 248.83+/-6.14 dB/m for S1, 274.33+/-8.53 dB/m for S2, and 322.35+/-22.20 dB/m for S3. CAP values were correlated with body weight (r=0.404, p<0.001), body mass index (r=0.445, p<0.001), and the fatty liver grade by US (r=0.472, p<0.001). Among the 161 subjects with normal US findings, steatosis was detected in 65 subjects (40.4%) using the CAP.
CONCLUSIONS
The CAP seems to be useful for detecting very low-grade hepatic steatosis in health checkup examinees. Its role in predicting subjects with a risk of metabolic derangement needs to be evaluated.

Keyword

Fatty liver; Controlled attenuation parameter; Ultrasonography; Early diagnosis; Metabolic syndrome

MeSH Terms

Adult
Body Mass Index
Body Weight
Elasticity Imaging Techniques/*methods
Fatty Liver/*ultrasonography
Female
Humans
Liver/*ultrasonography
Male
Middle Aged
Physical Examination/*methods
Predictive Value of Tests
ROC Curve
Retrospective Studies
Severity of Illness Index