Investigation of computed tomography findings of portal hypertension at non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Abstract

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is very common and serious disease. It begins as a simple hepatosteatosis but can progress to cirrhosis. The early detection of portal hypertension (HT) can be helpful in the management of these patients. Aims: To evaluate radiologic findings of portal hypertension at computed tomography (CT) of patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease for early diagnosis. Methods and materials: Images of 225 cases who underwent non-enhanced abdominal CT were reviewed. The patients with the difference between hepatic and splenic attenuation (CT L-S) > 10 were enrolled in hepatosteatosis group. The remainings formed control group. The relationship between two groups about diameters of portal and splenic veins, craniocaudal (CC) span of liver, splenic index, caudate lobe/right lobe (C/RL) ratio was analyzed statistically by Mann–Whitney U Test and Student’s t-test. Results: Total 213 cases, as hepatosteatosis (n = 149) and control (n = 64) groups, were involved in this study. Liver CC span, splenic index and C/RL ratio between two groups were found to be statistically significant (p < 0.01). Conclusions: The splenic index and C/RL ratio are important findings of portal HT and fibrosis. CT imaging can be beneficial for diagnosis and treatment of NAFLD patients.

Keywords

• Hepatosteatosis
• Portal hypertension
• Fatty liver
• Cirrhosis