Abstract
Background: The liver R2* value is widely used as a measure of liver iron but may be confounded by the presence of hepatic steatosis and other covariates. Purpose: To identify the most influential covariates for liver R2* values in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Study Type: Retrospective analysis of prospectively acquired data. Population: Baseline data from 204 subjects enrolled in NAFLD/NASH (nonalcoholic steatohepatitis) treatment trials. Field Strength: 1.5T and 3T; chemical-shift encoded multiecho gradient echo. Assessment: Correlation between liver proton density fat fraction and R2*; assessment for demographic, metabolic, laboratory, MRI-derived, and histological covariates of liver R2*. Statistical Tests: Pearson's and Spearman's correlations; univariate analysis; gradient boosting machines (GBM) multivariable machine-learning method. Results: Hepatic proton density fat fraction (PDFF) was the most strongly correlated covariate for R2* at both 1.5T (r = 0.652, P < 0.0001) and at 3T (r = 0.586, P < 0.0001). In the GBM analysis, hepatic PDFF was the most influential covariate for hepatic R2*, with relative influences (RIs) of 61.3% at 1.5T and 47.5% at 3T; less influential covariates had RIs of up to 11.5% at 1.5T and 16.7% at 3T. Nonhepatocellular iron was weakly associated with R2* at 3T only (RI 6.7%), and hepatocellular iron was not associated with R2* at either field strength. Data Conclusion: Hepatic PDFF is the most influential covariate for R2* at both 1.5T and 3T; nonhepatocellular iron deposition is weakly associated with liver R2* at 3T only. Level of Evidence: 4. Technical Efficacy: Stage 2. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2019;49:1456–1466.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1456-1466 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging |
Volume | 49 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - May 2019 |
Keywords
- NAFLD
- NASH
- PDFF
- R2*
- hepatic steatosis
- nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
- nonalcoholic steatohepatitis
- proton density fat fraction
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Radiology Nuclear Medicine and imaging