Non-alcoholic fatty liver desease abd associated patology of cardiovascular system: clinical and ultrasound picture

Kuzmina Yulia Borisovna

Ultrasound diagnostics is a promising direction for detecting comorbid pathology in patients with NAFLD and diseases of the cardiovascular system. The main contingent of patients is overweight and obese people. The central role in the development of NAFLD belongs to the excessive accumulation of free fatty acids and the deposition of their derivatives in the liver under conditions of insulin resistance. Not only is NAFLD capable of affecting the development of CVD, but also vice versa, some cardiovascular pathologies aggravate the course of NAFLD. An important diagnostic sign is the presence of steatosis in 5% or more of hepatocytes. The clinical picture of NAFLD has no specific features. As the main ultrasound signs of NAFLD, there are: a diffuse increase in the brightness of the hepatic parenchyma (bright white liver), heterogeneity of the structure, indistinctness and / or emphasis of the vascular pattern. The echo decays distally. The echogenicity of the liver significantly exceeds the echogenicity of the kidneys. Shear wave ultrasound elastography technology allows to obtain quantitative indicators of the stiffness of the liver parenchyma and more objectively assess the state of the liver parenchyma.

Keywords:NAFLD, CVS pathology, comorbid pathology, ultrasound signs, liver echogenicity, ultrasound diagnostics, ultrasound elastography.