Table 7.

Imaging modalities for the diagnosis of NAFLD.

Imaging Modality	Clinical Utility	Limitations
Ultrasound Abdomen [98]	Widely available and convenient Sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing fatty liver disease is 85% and 94% respectively	Operator dependent Lacks sensitivity in NAFLD patients with less than 30% steatosis on liver biopsy
CT abdomen [99]	Limited clinical utility in diagnosing NAFLD	Radiation hazard, introduces contrast-related risks, has low sensitivity for hepatic fat mapping
Magnetic resonance spectroscopy [99,100,101]	Allows for quantification of hepatic fat	Not available on all scanner
Transient Elastography (Fibroscan) [102,103]	Sensitivity of 88% with a negative predictive value of 90% in detecting advanced fibrosis	Presence of ascites, obese patients or presence of acute inflammation
Magnetic Resonance elastography [104,105]	Sensitivity of 86% and specificity of 91% for diagnosing advanced fibrosis	Limited availability, expertise to interpret the results, cost of the procedure, presence of metal implants, patient’s size and claustrophobia
Shear wave elastography (SWE) [106]	Sensitivity of 90% and the specificity of 88% in detecting advanced fibrosis	Limited evidence available current and needs further research on its clinical utility