Pilot Study for Collecting Data on Liver Adipose Content in Adults by Ultrasound Attenuation and Scattering Imaging and MRI Proton-density

NCT ID: NCT07189650

Last Updated: 2025-09-24

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

NOT_YET_RECRUITING

Total Enrollment

30 participants

Study Classification

OBSERVATIONAL

Study Start Date

2025-09-30

Study Completion Date

2026-04-30

Brief Summary

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The aim of this single-center, prospective, pilot study is to acquire data on liver adipose content in a population of adult patients affected by MASLD (Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Liver Disease).

Ultrasound attenuation (QAI) and scattering (QSI) imaging parameters will be acquired.

Fat percentage parameters, obtained from magnetic resonance imaging with proton density technique (MRI-PDFF), will be acquired as well and they will be considered as reference method and gold standard.

The study is initiated for exploratory and research purposes. The study will enroll 30 consecutive, non-vulnerable adult participants who are scheduled to undergo upper abdominal ultrasound (Intervention A) as part of their standard clinical evaluation for the diagnosis and/or management of steatotic liver disease (SLD).

Eligible participants will be invited to provide informed consent to undergo an additional, non-invasive imaging procedure (Intervention B), consisting of magnetic resonance imaging with proton density fat fraction (MRI-PDFF) quantification

Detailed Description

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The primary endpoint of this exploratory study is to acquire data on liver adipose content in a population of adult patients affected by MASLD for comparing Ultrasound Imaging (QAI and QSI) and MRI (MRI-PDFF) methods

Conditions

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Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Liver Disease

Study Design

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Observational Model Type

CASE_ONLY

Study Time Perspective

PROSPECTIVE

Study Groups

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Single Cohort

not vulnerable, adult subjetcs affected by MASLD (Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Liver Disease)

MRI

Intervention Type DEVICE

Proton Density Fat Fraction Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI-PDFF )

Interventions

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MRI

Proton Density Fat Fraction Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI-PDFF )

Intervention Type DEVICE

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Previous diagnosis or suspected steatosic liver disease. The diagnosis may be suspected in the presence of concomitant conditions, such as (but not limited to) obesity, type 2 diabetes, pro-atherogenic dyslipidemia (hypertriglyceridemia, low HDL cholesterol), and metabolic syndrome;
* Patients for whom an upper abdominal ultrasound is indicated as part of the clinical workup for the diagnosis and/or treatment of steatosic liver disease.

Exclusion Criteria

* Contraindications to MRI (patients with a pacemaker, metal implants, pregnant patients, claustrophobia, physical inability to perform the exam due to constitution);
* Inappropriate alcohol consumption (\>30 g/day for men and \>20 g/day for women);
* Viral liver disease (HBV, HCV, HIV);
* Other forms of metabolic/autoimmune/cholestatic or storage liver disease e.g., primary biliary cholangitis, sclerosing cholangitis, hemochromatosis, Wilson's disease);
* History of hepatocellular carcinoma or other forms of malignancy;
* Refusal to participate in the study.
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Esaote S.p.A.

INDUSTRY

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Matteo Garcovich, MD, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

UOSD Ecografia Diagnostica e Interventistica - Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Gemelli IRCCS, Rome (Italy)

Central Contacts

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Matteo Garcovich, MD, PhD

Role: CONTACT

+39 0630156018

References

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Han A, Andre MP, Deiranieh L, Housman E, Erdman JW Jr, Loomba R, Sirlin CB, O'Brien WD Jr. Repeatability and Reproducibility of the Ultrasonic Attenuation Coefficient and Backscatter Coefficient Measured in the Right Lobe of the Liver in Adults With Known or Suspected Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. J Ultrasound Med. 2018 Aug;37(8):1913-1927. doi: 10.1002/jum.14537. Epub 2018 Jan 23.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
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Noureddin M, Lam J, Peterson MR, Middleton M, Hamilton G, Le TA, Bettencourt R, Changchien C, Brenner DA, Sirlin C, Loomba R. Utility of magnetic resonance imaging versus histology for quantifying changes in liver fat in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease trials. Hepatology. 2013 Dec;58(6):1930-40. doi: 10.1002/hep.26455. Epub 2013 Oct 17.

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Reference Type BACKGROUND
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Rockey DC, Caldwell SH, Goodman ZD, Nelson RC, Smith AD; American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. Liver biopsy. Hepatology. 2009 Mar;49(3):1017-44. doi: 10.1002/hep.22742. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 19243014 (View on PubMed)

Cholongitas E, Senzolo M, Standish R, Marelli L, Quaglia A, Patch D, Dhillon AP, Burroughs AK. A systematic review of the quality of liver biopsy specimens. Am J Clin Pathol. 2006 May;125(5):710-21. doi: 10.1309/W3XC-NT4H-KFBN-2G0B.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
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Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 19846234 (View on PubMed)

Tamaki N, Ajmera V, Loomba R. Non-invasive methods for imaging hepatic steatosis and their clinical importance in NAFLD. Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2022 Jan;18(1):55-66. doi: 10.1038/s41574-021-00584-0. Epub 2021 Nov 23.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 34815553 (View on PubMed)

Eslam M, Sanyal AJ, George J. Toward More Accurate Nomenclature for Fatty Liver Diseases. Gastroenterology. 2019 Sep;157(3):590-593. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2019.05.064. Epub 2019 May 31. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 31158374 (View on PubMed)

Loomba R, Sanyal AJ. The global NAFLD epidemic. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2013 Nov;10(11):686-90. doi: 10.1038/nrgastro.2013.171. Epub 2013 Sep 17.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 24042449 (View on PubMed)

European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL); European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD); European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO). EASL-EASD-EASO Clinical Practice Guidelines for the management of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. J Hepatol. 2016 Jun;64(6):1388-402. doi: 10.1016/j.jhep.2015.11.004. Epub 2016 Apr 7. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 27062661 (View on PubMed)

Ress C, Kaser S. Mechanisms of intrahepatic triglyceride accumulation. World J Gastroenterol. 2016 Jan 28;22(4):1664-73. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v22.i4.1664.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 26819531 (View on PubMed)

Younossi ZM, Blissett D, Blissett R, Henry L, Stepanova M, Younossi Y, Racila A, Hunt S, Beckerman R. The economic and clinical burden of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in the United States and Europe. Hepatology. 2016 Nov;64(5):1577-1586. doi: 10.1002/hep.28785. Epub 2016 Sep 26.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 27543837 (View on PubMed)

Browning JD, Szczepaniak LS, Dobbins R, Nuremberg P, Horton JD, Cohen JC, Grundy SM, Hobbs HH. Prevalence of hepatic steatosis in an urban population in the United States: impact of ethnicity. Hepatology. 2004 Dec;40(6):1387-95. doi: 10.1002/hep.20466.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 15565570 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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CIP000004

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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