How can you tell the difference between steatosis and steatohepatitis?

How can you tell the difference between steatosis and steatohepatitis?

Steatohepatitis is usually diffuse, whereas steatosis may be focal or diffuse: Ultrasound: Shows a hyper-echogenic, bright image. Ultrasound has some diagnostic accuracy in detecting steatosis but is not good at distinguishing NASH and fibrosis within NAFLD .

How is steatohepatitis diagnosed?

Diagnosis generally begins with a physical exam and a review of the patient’s medical history. If NAFLD or NASH are suspected, blood tests will be done to determine how the liver is working. Imaging tools, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or ultrasound may also be used to help.

Can NASH be seen on CT scan?

Routine imaging studies Ultrasonography, CT, and MRI are insensitive in differentiating hepatic steatosis from NASH, and they cannot be used to stage fibrosis [26].

Does NAFLD show up on CT scan?

Computed tomography can be considered as an unsuitable imaging modality for evaluation of NAFLD due to potential risk of radiation exposure and limited accuracy in detecting mild steatosis.

What is the difference between fatty liver disease and steatohepatitis?

Health care providers divide fatty liver disease into two types. If you just have fat but no damage to your liver, the disease is called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). If you have fat in your liver plus signs of inflammation and liver cell damage, the disease is called nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

How can you tell the difference between NAFLD and NASH?

Diagnosis. Doctors use your medical history, a physical exam, and tests to diagnose nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Doctors may use blood tests, imaging tests, and liver biopsy to diagnose NAFLD and tell the difference between nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

What does a high NASH score mean?

After enough excess fat has accumulated in the liver, chronic inflammation and cell death (ballooning) result in NASH. At this stage, patients have a higher risk of death from cardiovascular disease.

What is mild steatohepatitis?

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is liver inflammation and damage caused by a buildup of fat in the liver. It is part of a group of conditions called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Which is worse NASH or NAFLD?

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) Most people with NAFLD have simple fatty liver. Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH): This is much more serious than a simple fatty liver.

What labs are elevated in NASH?

Levels of two liver enzymes, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) are elevated in about 90 percent of people with NASH. Other blood tests — Additional blood tests are useful for ruling out other causes of liver disease.

How can you tell the difference between NASH and NAFLD?

If you have fat but no inflammation or tissue damage, the diagnosis is NAFLD. If you have fat, inflammation, and liver damage, the diagnosis is NASH. If you have a type of scar tissue in your liver called fibrosis, you may be developing cirrhosis.

What can a CT scan show on the liver?

A CT scan of the liver and biliary tract may be performed to assess the liver and/or gallbladder and their related structures for tumors and other lesions, injuries, bleeding, infections, abscesses, unexplained abdominal pain, obstructions, or other conditions, particularly when another type of examination, such as X- …

How accurate is CT scan for liver disease?

In a multicentre study conducted by Kudo et al., the diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of CT for hepatic cirrhosis were 67–86%, 77–84% and 53–68%, respectively [20], [29].