Multiparametric Imaging of Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease

This technical report evaluates the use of handheld point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) imaging combined with a multiparametric framework for assessing metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). The study involved preclinical trials with mice exhibiting varying degrees of liver steatosis and inflammation, utilizing a POCUS system to acquire radiofrequency data. The multiparametric analysis included parameters such as attenuation coefficient estimates, ultrasound speckle statistics, B-mode echogenicity, and H-mode frequency. Following imaging, liver samples were excised for histological analysis to quantify steatosis and macrophage infiltration. The correlation between multiparametric ultrasound results and histology indicated a significant relationship. Additionally, a support vector machine classification model achieved high accuracy in staging MASLD. The findings suggest that a multiparametric POCUS approach may serve as a promising tool for early detection and staging of MASLD, addressing the need for effective noninvasive diagnostic methods in this field.