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Taru MG, Tefas C, Neamti L, Minciuna I, Taru V, Maniu A, Rusu I, Petrushev B, Procopciuc LM, Leucuta DC, Procopet B, Ferri S, Lupsor-Platon M, Stefanescu H. FAST and Agile-the MASLD drift: Validation of Agile 3+, Agile 4 and FAST scores in 246 biopsy-proven NAFLD patients meeting MASLD criteria of prevalent caucasian origin. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0303971. [PMID: 38781158 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0303971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 05/04/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND MASLD is a prevalent chronic liver condition with substantial clinical implications. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of three new, elastography-based, scoring systems for advanced fibrosis ≥F3 (Agile 3+), cirrhosis F4 (Agile 4), and fibrotic NASH: NASH + NAS ≥4 + F≥2 (FAST score), in a cohort of biopsy-proven NAFLD meeting MASLD criteria. Our secondary aim was to compare their diagnostic performances with those of other fibrosis prediction tools: LSM-VCTE alone, and common, easily available scores (FIB-4 or APRI). METHODS Single-center, retrospective study, on consecutive patients with baseline laboratory tests, liver biopsy, and reliable LSM-VCTE measurements. The discrimination between tests was evaluated by analyzing the AUROCs. Dual cut-off approaches were applied to rule-out and rule-in ≥F3, F4 and fibrotic NASH. We tested previously reported cut-off values and provided our best thresholds to achieve Se ≥85%, Se ≥90%, and Sp ≥90%, Sp ≥95%. RESULTS Among 246 patients, 113 (45.9%) were women, and 75 (30.5%) presented diabetes. Agile 3+ and Agile 4 demonstrated excellent performance in identifying ≥F3 and F4, achieving AUROCs of 0.909 and 0.968, while the FAST score yielded acceptable results in distinguishing fibrotic NASH. When compared to FIB-4 and LSM-VCTE, both Agile 3+ and Agile 4 performed better than FIB-4 and had a similar performance to LSM-VCTE, but with higher diagnostic accuracy, hence reducing the grey zone. CONCLUSION Agile 3+ and Agile 4 are reliable, non-invasive tests for identifying advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis in MASLD patients, while FAST score demonstrates moderate performance in identifying fibrotic NASH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madalina-Gabriela Taru
- Faculty of Medicine, "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Cluj, Romania
- Regional Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology "Octavian Fodor", Cluj-Napoca, Cluj, Romania
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Cristian Tefas
- Faculty of Medicine, "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Cluj, Romania
- Regional Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology "Octavian Fodor", Cluj-Napoca, Cluj, Romania
| | - Lidia Neamti
- Faculty of Medicine, "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Cluj, Romania
- Regional Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology "Octavian Fodor", Cluj-Napoca, Cluj, Romania
| | - Iulia Minciuna
- Faculty of Medicine, "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Cluj, Romania
- Regional Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology "Octavian Fodor", Cluj-Napoca, Cluj, Romania
| | - Vlad Taru
- Faculty of Medicine, "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Cluj, Romania
- Regional Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology "Octavian Fodor", Cluj-Napoca, Cluj, Romania
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Anca Maniu
- Regional Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology "Octavian Fodor", Cluj-Napoca, Cluj, Romania
| | - Ioana Rusu
- Regional Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology "Octavian Fodor", Cluj-Napoca, Cluj, Romania
| | - Bobe Petrushev
- Regional Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology "Octavian Fodor", Cluj-Napoca, Cluj, Romania
| | - Lucia Maria Procopciuc
- Faculty of Medicine, "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Cluj, Romania
| | - Dan Corneliu Leucuta
- Faculty of Medicine, "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Cluj, Romania
| | - Bogdan Procopet
- Faculty of Medicine, "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Cluj, Romania
- Regional Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology "Octavian Fodor", Cluj-Napoca, Cluj, Romania
| | - Silvia Ferri
- Division of Internal Medicine, Hepatobiliary and Immunoallergic Diseases, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Monica Lupsor-Platon
- Faculty of Medicine, "Iuliu Hatieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Cluj, Romania
- Regional Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology "Octavian Fodor", Cluj-Napoca, Cluj, Romania
| | - Horia Stefanescu
- Regional Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology "Octavian Fodor", Cluj-Napoca, Cluj, Romania
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Taru MG, Lupsor-Platon M. Exploring Opportunities to Enhance the Screening and Surveillance of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) through Risk Stratification Algorithms Incorporating Ultrasound Elastography. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:4097. [PMID: 37627125 PMCID: PMC10452922 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15164097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Revised: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), with its progressive form, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), has emerged as a significant public health concern, affecting over 30% of the global population. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a complication associated with both cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic NAFLD, has shown a significant increase in incidence. A substantial proportion of NAFLD-related HCC occurs in non-cirrhotic livers, highlighting the need for improved risk stratification and surveillance strategies. This comprehensive review explores the potential role of liver ultrasound elastography as a risk assessment tool for HCC development in NAFLD and highlights the importance of effective screening tools for early, cost-effective detection and improved management of NAFLD-related HCC. The integration of non-invasive tools and algorithms into risk stratification strategies could have the capacity to enhance NAFLD-related HCC screening and surveillance effectiveness. Alongside exploring the potential advancement of non-invasive tools and algorithms for effectively stratifying HCC risk in NAFLD, we offer essential perspectives that could enable readers to improve the personalized assessment of NAFLD-related HCC risk through a more methodical screening approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madalina-Gabriela Taru
- Hepatology Department, Regional Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology “Octavian Fodor”, 400162 Cluj-Napoca, Romania;
- “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400012 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Monica Lupsor-Platon
- “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400012 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- Medical Imaging Department, Regional Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology “Octavian Fodor”, 400162 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
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Taru MG, Neamti L, Taru V, Procopciuc LM, Procopet B, Lupsor-Platon M. How to Identify Advanced Fibrosis in Adult Patients with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) and Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) Using Ultrasound Elastography-A Review of the Literature and Proposed Multistep Approach. Diagnostics (Basel) 2023; 13:diagnostics13040788. [PMID: 36832276 PMCID: PMC9955630 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics13040788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2022] [Revised: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and its progressive form, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), represent, nowadays, real challenges for the healthcare system. Liver fibrosis is the most important prognostic factor for NAFLD, and advanced fibrosis is associated with higher liver-related mortality rates. Therefore, the key issues in NAFLD are the differentiation of NASH from simple steatosis and identification of advanced hepatic fibrosis. We critically reviewed the ultrasound (US) elastography techniques for the quantitative characterization of fibrosis, steatosis, and inflammation in NAFLD and NASH, with a specific focus on how to differentiate advanced fibrosis in adult patients. Vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE) is still the most utilized and validated elastography method for liver fibrosis assessment. The recently developed point shear wave elastography (pSWE) and two-dimensional shear wave elastography (2D-SWE) techniques that use multiparametric approaches could bring essential improvements to diagnosis and risk stratification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madalina-Gabriela Taru
- Hepatology Department, Regional Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology “Octavian Fodor”, 400162 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- Faculty of Medicine, “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400012 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Lidia Neamti
- Hepatology Department, Regional Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology “Octavian Fodor”, 400162 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- Faculty of Medicine, “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400012 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Vlad Taru
- Hepatology Department, Regional Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology “Octavian Fodor”, 400162 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- Faculty of Medicine, “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400012 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
- Christian Doppler Lab for Portal Hypertension and Liver Fibrosis, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Lucia Maria Procopciuc
- Faculty of Medicine, “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400012 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Bogdan Procopet
- Hepatology Department, Regional Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology “Octavian Fodor”, 400162 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- Faculty of Medicine, “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400012 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Monica Lupsor-Platon
- Faculty of Medicine, “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400012 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- Medical Imaging Department, Regional Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology “Octavian Fodor”, 400162 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- Correspondence:
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