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Many clinicians order hepatic ultrasound to screen for steatosis in patients with suspected nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). However, a recent “practice guidance” document from the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases concludes that ultrasound “is not recommended as a tool to identify hepatic steatosis due to low sensitivity” (NEJM JW Gen Med Jun 15 2023 and Hepatology 2023; 77:1797). Because the case against using ultrasound for this purpose is based on relatively old data, researchers have conducted this more-contemporary observational study — arguing that newer ultrasound transducers are more sensitive for detecting steatosis.
The study included 5000 patients with suspected liver disease at six centers in Korea, J…