Radiologic evaluation of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Table 1 Advantages and disadvantages of imaging techniques for evaluating hepatic steatosis

Techniques	Advantages	Disadvantages	Clinical applications
US	Widely available, easy to perform, less expensive	Operator dependency, limited accuracy in diagnosing mild hepatic steatosis, rather qualitative nature	Population screening, initial examination for subjects with suspected nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
CT	Widely available, easy to perform	Potential radiation hazard, limited accuracy in diagnosing mild hepatic steatosis	Detecting moderate-to-severe hepatic steatosis in donor candidates for liver transplantation
MRI	Highly accurate and reproducible for measuring hepatic fat	High cost, long examination time	Follow-up of response after therapy in practice or clinical trials
MRS	Highly accurate and reproducible for measuring hepatic fat	High cost, long examination time, evaluation of small portion of the liver, expertise required for data acquisition and analysis	Follow-up of response after therapy in practice or clinical trials

US: Ultrasonography; CT: Computed tomography; MRI: Magnetic resonance imaging; MRS: Magnetic resonance spectroscopy.