Review
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World J Gastroenterol. Jun 14, 2014; 20(22): 6821-6825
Published online Jun 14, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i22.6821
Bedside ultrasound in the diagnosis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
Nancy Khov, Amol Sharma, Thomas R Riley
Nancy Khov, Department of Internal Medicine, Pennsylvania State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and School of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, United States
Amol Sharma, Thomas R Riley, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Pennsylvania State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and School of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, United States
Author contributions: Khov N and Sharma A performed the literature search and wrote the paper; Riley TR participated in drafting the outline and revised the paper.
Correspondence to: Nancy Khov, MD, Department of Internal Medicine, Pennsylvania State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and School of Medicine, 500 University Drive, Hershey, PA 17033, United States. nkhov@hmc.psu.edu
Telephone: +1-717-5315160 Fax: +1-717-5312034
Received: November 18, 2013
Revised: January 25, 2014
Accepted: March 19, 2014
Published online: June 14, 2014
Processing time: 209 Days and 20.6 Hours
Core Tip

Core tip: Ultrasound is a non-invasive, widely available, and accurate tool in the detection of Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Ultrasound should be used as the first-line diagnostic test in patients with abnormal liver enzymes when other causes are excluded. Clinical risk factors, when used with ultrasound findings, have high accuracy in identifying NAFLD patients. We present an algorithm for chronic abnormal liver enzymes that illustrates the use of ultrasound in reducing the need for liver biopsy in the diagnosis of NAFLD. Clinicians should be aware of the known limitations of ultrasound, including the inability to grade or stage fibrosis in NAFLD patients.