LAUSR

Abstract Background /Objective: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is becoming the most common cause of cirrhosis. Although magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) is considered the gold standard, it has a few limitations. The role of diffusion weighted imaging (DWI), which is a simpler sequence, in the diagnosis and grading of fatty liver is not well studied. The aim of the study was to investigate the value of DWI in the diagnosis and grading of hepatic steatosis in patients of NAFLD. Materials and methods 51 adults (mean age: 38 years; 28 males, 23 females) of NAFLD, diagnosed clinically and by ultrasonography (USG), were included in the study after obtaining approval from the Institute Ethics Committee and informed consent. USG was done for grading of hepatic steatosis in all patients, followed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with DWI and MRS, on 1.5T Scanner. The mean apparent diffusion co-efficient (ADC) values and proton density fat fraction (PDFF) were calculated and MRS was used as gold standard. The mean ADC values were compared with the PDFF and USG grades. Results There was weak correlation between ADC values and PDFF (r=0.36; p Conclusion DWI is not accurate in the diagnosis and grading of hepatic steatosis in NAFLD. However, a significant increase in fat deposition in the liver lowers the ADC values.