Usefulness of Ultrasound-derived Fat Fraction for Quantification of Hepatic Steatosis in Patients Suspected of MASLD

NCT ID: NCT06662851

Last Updated: 2024-10-29

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING
• Total Enrollment: 150 participants
• Study Classification: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2024-05-27
• Study Completion Date: 2025-08-30

Brief Summary

This study aims to evaluate the diagnostic utility of ultrasound-derived fat fraction (UDFF) in assessing hepatic steatosis in patients with suspected metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). Using a prospective, cross-sectional design, the study will compare UDFF results with established diagnostic methods, including liver biopsy, MRI proton density fat fraction (PDFF), and controlled attenuation parameters (CAP) measurements. The ultimate goal is to determine if UDFF can serve as a non-invasive alternative to liver biopsy for diagnosing and staging hepatic steatosis, potentially reducing the need for invasive procedures in MASLD management.

Detailed Description

This prospective observational study, conducted at a single tertiary institution, will investigate the efficacy of ultrasound-derived fat fraction (UDFF) and point shear wave elastography (p-SWE) as non-invasive methods for quantifying liver fat content and fibrosis in patients scheduled for liver biopsy or surgery. The study will enroll 150 participants, suspected of MASLD and who are candidates for liver biopsy or resection.

The study will utilize Siemens ultrasound equipment to measure the UDFF using attenuation coefficient (AC) and backscatter coefficient (BSC) values for liver fat quantification. Additionally, TE parameters, such as controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) and liver stiffness measurement (LSM), will be recorded for comparison. The primary outcomes will assess UDFF's diagnostic accuracy against liver biopsy and MRI-PDFF. Secondary outcomes will include assessment of intra- and inter-observer variability, and correlations with patients' clinical data, such as BMI, liver fibrosis stages and liver function tests.

Expected benefits include validating UDFF as a reliable, non-invasive alternative for liver fat assessment, potentially reducing the need for invasive biopsies in managing liver disease.

Conditions

MASLD - Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease

Study Design

• Observational Model Type: COHORT
• Study Time Perspective: PROSPECTIVE

Interventions

UDFF

Ultrasound-Derived Fat Fraction (UDFF) is a quantitative ultrasound technique used to assess hepatic steatosis by measuring the amount of fat in the liver tissue. UDFF estimates fat content using specific ultrasound parameters, namely the attenuation coefficient (AC) and backscatter coefficient (BSC). The AC measures the rate at which ultrasound waves weaken as they pass through the liver, which correlates with fat content, while the BSC quantifies the amount of reflected ultrasound signal, providing additional insights into liver tissue characteristics.

Intervention Type: DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Patients older than 18 and younger than 80 years
• Patients suspected of MASLD
• Patients who are planned to undergo either liver biopsy or surgery
• Patients willing to provide written informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria

• Patients with a large tumor in Rt. hemiliver causing difficulty in performing UDFF measurement
• Patients with previous liver surgery or transplantation
• Patients with insufficient pathologic specimen for analysis of steatosis and fibrosis grade.
• Any other condition which, in the opinion of the investigator, would make the patient unsuitable for enrollment or could interfere with completing the study.

• Minimum Eligible Age: 19 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 80 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

So Yeon Kim

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

So Yeon Kim

MD, PhD

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

Asan Medical Center

Seoul, Songpa-gu, South Korea

Countries

South Korea

Other Identifiers

ASANMC_UDFF

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id