A study jointly led by the University of Birmingham and University of Edinburgh has revealed that multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) could almost halve the number of liver biopsies carried out on people with fatty liver disease.
The authors of the study, also carried out in collaboration with the Universities of Liverpool and Oxford, concluded that 458 out of every 1000 liver biopsies could be avoided if mpMRI was carried out alongside existing biomarkers. The researchers estimate that the approach could potentially save the NHS around £150,218 per 1000 patients.
Presenting the findings in the journal Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, the authors said: "Multiparametric MRI accurately identified patients with steatosis, stratifies those with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) or simple steatosis, and reliably excludes clinically significant liver disease with superior negative predictive value (83.3%) to liver stiffness (42.9%) and enhanced liver fibrosis (57.1%).”
“For the risk stratification of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), multiparametric MRI was cost-effective and, combined with transient elastography, had the lowest cost per correct diagnosis,” they added.
Professor Philip Newsome, Director of the University of Birmingham's Centre for Liver Research, said: "Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is on the increase. The prevalence is estimated at around 20-30% in the UK."
"With numbers expected to grow, the investigation and management of liver disease will place a significant demand on NHS resources," he said.
"The rising burden of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease calls for simpler and low risk strategies to manage this clinical problem that meet the needs of both clinicians and patients," Professor Newsome said.
