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. 2021 Oct 25;301(2):250–262. doi: 10.1148/radiol.2021204288

Figure 1:

Among the noninvasive modalities used for quantification of liver fat, chemical shift–encoded (CSE) MRI–based proton density fat fraction (PDFF) mapping has the best combination of accuracy, precision, and reproducibility in the measurement of liver fat content. Estimation of hepatic fat content using US is based on increased echogenicity and sound attenuation and has low accuracy for detection of mild-to-moderate steatosis. Decreased x-ray attenuation (Hounsfield units) on noncontrast CT scans can be used to quantify liver fat and correlates closely and linearly with MRI PDFF. CSE MRI generates confounder-corrected volumetric quantitative maps of PDFF, a fundamental property of tissue. (A, D) Conventional US images, (B, E) noncontrast CT images, and (C, F) MRI PDFF maps in 44-year-old man (patient 1) with mild-to-moderate hepatic steatosis (MRI PDFF = 12%, CT attenuation = 43 HU) and 59-year-old woman (patient 2) without steatosis (MRI PDFF = 2%, CT attenuation = 65 HU).

Among the noninvasive modalities used for quantification of liver fat, chemical shift–encoded (CSE) MRI–based proton density fat fraction (PDFF) mapping has the best combination of accuracy, precision, and reproducibility in the measurement of liver fat content. Estimation of hepatic fat content using US is based on increased echogenicity and sound attenuation and has low accuracy for detection of mild-to-moderate steatosis. Decreased x-ray attenuation (Hounsfield units) on noncontrast CT scans can be used to quantify liver fat and correlates closely and linearly with MRI PDFF. CSE MRI generates confounder-corrected volumetric quantitative maps of PDFF, a fundamental property of tissue. (A, D) Conventional US images, (B, E) noncontrast CT images, and (C, F) MRI PDFF maps in 44-year-old man (patient 1) with mild-to-moderate hepatic steatosis (MRI PDFF = 12%, CT attenuation = 43 HU) and 59-year-old woman (patient 2) without steatosis (MRI PDFF = 2%, CT attenuation = 65 HU).