Table 1.

Comparison of imaging tools for the diagnosis of NAFLD. TAG, triglycerides; VCTE, vibration control transient elastography; ARFI, acoustic radiation force impulse; SWE, shear wave elastography; MRE, magnetic resonance elastography; CT, computed tomography; MRI, magnetic resonance imaging

Methods	Cost	Accuracy	Quantification	Sensitivity	Application	Limitation
Ultrasonography	+	+	No	Decrease with obesity	Screening tool, inexpensive	Operator dependent, low sensitivity,
Elastography
VCTE	+	++	Yes	High	Specific for liver, fast acquisition, advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis, immediate results; XL probe for overweight patients	Disable to tell fibrosis stage, not reliable in severely obese patients
ARFI	++	++	Yes	High	Specific for liver, fast acquisition, advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis, immediate results	Operator dependent; limited data, narrow range
SWE	++	++	Yes	High		Operator dependent
MRE	+++	+++	Yes	High	Not affected by obesity	High cost, time consuming, not suitable for patients with implantable devices
CT	++	++	Semi	Low	/	Radiation exposure
MRI	+++	++	Yes	High	Gold standard for TAG evaluation	Operator dependent, long imaging time, limited availability