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Computer-Assisted Ultrasound Analysis of Liver Echogenicity in Obese and Normal-Weight Children

¹ Department of Radiology, Hospital São Lucas, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Av. Ipiranga, 6690, 90610-000 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
² Department of Radiology, School of Medicine and Graduate School of Medicine, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Brazil.
³ Department of Pathology, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Brazil.

OBJECTIVE. No simple computer-assisted method for assessing liver echogenicity has been developed to date. This study describes an accessible and reproducible computer-assisted method for measuring liver echogenicity in obese (body mass index [BMI] 97th percentile) and normal-weight (BMI from 25th to 75th percentile) children and correlates the results with laboratory test results.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS. Twenty-two children (age range, 6–11 years) were assigned to one of two groups of 11 children each and paired by sex and age. All children underwent ultrasound, anthropometric measurements, and laboratory tests. A hepatorenal index was calculated using software to analyze the difference in echogenicity between the liver parenchyma and kidney cortex. The Student's t test and Mann-Whitney U test were used for statistical analyses.

RESULTS. The hepatorenal index was statistically different between the obese and normal-weight children (33.9 ± 6.6 vs 14.1 ± 6.1, p < 0.001). The analysis of laboratory tests of obese and normal-weight children revealed statistically significant differences in the values of glucose (p = 0.034), insulin (p = 0.008), triglycerides (p = 0.036), uric acid (p < 0.001), and alkaline phosphatase (p = 0.045).

CONCLUSION. Computer-assisted analysis of ultrasound liver echogenicity using the software is an accessible, reproducible, and easy-to-use diagnostic tool for calculating the hepatorenal index. This tool may be used for follow-up and control in the treatment of fat infiltration in the liver of obese children.

Keywords: computer-assisted analysis • echogenicity • hepatic steatosis • hepatorenal index • kidney cortex • liver • ultrasound

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