Can Anthropometric Measures of Obesity Predict Liver Surface Nodularity in a Diverse NAFLD Population?
Niki Patel1, Elliot Varney1, Charlene Claudio1, Juliana Sitta1, Khalid Manzoul1, Rana Gordji1, Amy Krecker1, Gerri Wilson1, Sarah Miller1, Stella Powell1, Seth Lirette2, David Gordy1, Edward Florez1, Candace Howard1
1Department of Radiology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS
2Department of Data Science, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS
For this retrospective observational study, adult patients with various degrees of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non-enhanced CT images of the abdomen and pelvis obtained (N=367) to assess how specific anthropometric measures of obesity correspond to liver surface nodularity and NAFLD clinical index in patients diagnosed with NAFLD. Abdominal diameters (SAD) were measured and two readers independently assessed liver surface nodularity (LSN) scores of the 367 patients. LSN scores were obtained using a previously validated quantitative technique. LSN scores were analyzed and correlated with SAD, NAFLD clinical index, body weight, and liver and spleen attenuation using a regression model and the coefficients of determination were calculated. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) with 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) and coefficient of variation (CV) were used to assess inter-observer agreement among the two readers assessing LSN scores. In patients with NAFLD, SAD showed a direct correlation with weight, LSN score, and NAFLD index and an inverse correlation to spleen and liver attenuation. SAD correlated best with patient weight (R2=0.64, p <0.001) and LSN score (R2=0.38, p<0.001). Correlations between SAD and liver attenuation/spleen attenuation/NAFLD were present but were of minimal clinical significance (R2=0.07/0.11/0.05, respectively, p<0.001) without the support of other clinical data.