ABSTRACT
Objective:To investigate the application value of sound touch quantification (STQ) in screening high risk group of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis(NASH).Methods:From February 2019 to January 2020, 98 patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD) and 36 healthy volunteers were included in this study. NAFLD patients were divided into NASH high risk group and NASH low risk group. The liver Young′s modulus were measured by STQ and compared among the three groups. The ROC curve was used to analyze the effectiveness of STQ in screening NASH high risk population. When the maximum value of Jordan index was selected, the best boundary threshold was selected to analyze its sensitivity, specificity and accuracy. Liver biopsy was performed in 15 patients with abnormal liver function as validation group.Results:There were significant differences in the mean values of Young′s modulus among high risk group, low risk group and control group ( F=33.068, P<0.01). The Young′s modulus of NASH high risk group was significantly higher than those in NASH low risk group and control group ( P<0.05). The Young′s modulus between NASH Low risk group and control group was not significantly different( P=0.443). The best screening threshold was 6.46 kPa, the sensitivity was 89.2%, the specificity was 85.2%, and the accuracy was 88.6%. In the verification group, when the Young′s modulus≥6.46 kPa, the accuracy was 73.3%, the sensitivity was 75.0%, and the specificity was 66.7%. Conclusions:As a screening index, STQ elastic imaging technology has certain value in screening NASH high risk group.