TY - JOUR
T1 - Fade-out sign on hepatic tissue harmonic compound sonography
T2 - A value as a new sign in the diagnosis of fatty liver
AU - Lee, Chang Hee
AU - Kim, Kyeong Ah
AU - Lee, Jongmee
AU - Park, Yang Shin
AU - Choi, Jae Woong
AU - Seo, Tae Seok
AU - Park, Cheol Min
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was supported by a Korea University Grant .
PY - 2011/12
Y1 - 2011/12
N2 - Objective: To evaluate the value of the fade-out sign in the diagnosis of fatty liver (FL) on hepatic ultrasound (US). Methods: We evaluated 127 patients who underwent hepatic US, including 70 patients with FL and 57 normal control subjects. US images were qualitatively evaluated for the presence of the fade-out sign. This sign was considered present if there was a dark band on the deep portion of the liver on the harmonic image when compound sonography (CS) was converted to tissue harmonic CS mode. The degrees of FL were classified into mild, moderate, and severe. The distribution of lengths of dark bands in three groups was examined, and a multiple comparison of the average dark band length was carried out using one-way ANOVA. Results: The fade-out sign was seen in 55 of 70 FL patients (78.6%) compared to 3 of 57 control subjects (5.3%) (p < 0.001). The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and positive predictive value of the fade-out sign for the US diagnosis of FL were 78%, 94%, 85.8%, and 94.8%, respectively. Among the 70 FL, there were 28 mild FL (mean length of dark band; 8.3 mm ± 8.2), 31 moderate FL (mean; 28 mm ± 6.3), and 11 severe FL (mean; 51 mm ± 8.3). There were significant differences in band length according to severity (p < 0.01). Conclusion: The fade-out sign on hepatic harmonic US was frequently present in FL. As fat infiltration increased, the fade-out sign lengthened. The fade-out sign offers a specific and new sign of FL.
AB - Objective: To evaluate the value of the fade-out sign in the diagnosis of fatty liver (FL) on hepatic ultrasound (US). Methods: We evaluated 127 patients who underwent hepatic US, including 70 patients with FL and 57 normal control subjects. US images were qualitatively evaluated for the presence of the fade-out sign. This sign was considered present if there was a dark band on the deep portion of the liver on the harmonic image when compound sonography (CS) was converted to tissue harmonic CS mode. The degrees of FL were classified into mild, moderate, and severe. The distribution of lengths of dark bands in three groups was examined, and a multiple comparison of the average dark band length was carried out using one-way ANOVA. Results: The fade-out sign was seen in 55 of 70 FL patients (78.6%) compared to 3 of 57 control subjects (5.3%) (p < 0.001). The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and positive predictive value of the fade-out sign for the US diagnosis of FL were 78%, 94%, 85.8%, and 94.8%, respectively. Among the 70 FL, there were 28 mild FL (mean length of dark band; 8.3 mm ± 8.2), 31 moderate FL (mean; 28 mm ± 6.3), and 11 severe FL (mean; 51 mm ± 8.3). There were significant differences in band length according to severity (p < 0.01). Conclusion: The fade-out sign on hepatic harmonic US was frequently present in FL. As fat infiltration increased, the fade-out sign lengthened. The fade-out sign offers a specific and new sign of FL.
KW - Compound sonography
KW - Fade-out sign
KW - Fatty liver
KW - Tissue harmonic imaging
KW - Ultrasound
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=80755129050&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ejrad.2010.11.023
DO - 10.1016/j.ejrad.2010.11.023
M3 - Article
C2 - 21163598
AN - SCOPUS:80755129050
SN - 0720-048X
VL - 80
SP - e258-e262
JO - European Journal of Radiology
JF - European Journal of Radiology
IS - 3
ER -