Ultrasound evaluation of chronic liver disease

Abstract

Chronic liver disease is a world-wide epidemic. Any etiology that causes inflammation in the liver will lead to chronic liver disease. Presently, the most common inciting factor worldwide is steatotic liver disease. Recent advances in ultrasound imaging provide a multiparametric ultrasound methodology of diagnosing, staging, and monitoring treatment of chronic liver disease. Elastography has become a standard of care technique for the evaluation of liver fibrosis. Quantitative ultrasound allows for determination of the degree of fatty infiltration of the liver. Portal hypertension is the most important factor in determination of liver decompensation. B-mode findings combined with Doppler, and elastography techniques provide qualitative and quantitative methods of determining clinically significant portal hypertension. A newer method using contrast enhanced ultrasound may allow for a non-invasive quantitative estimation of the portal pressures. This paper reviews the use of multiparametric ultrasound in the evaluation of chronic liver disease including conventional B-mode ultrasound, Doppler, elastography and quantitative ultrasound for estimation of liver fat. The recent guidelines are presented and advised protocols reviewed.