Liver echogenicity: measurement or visual grading?

Objective: Two methods to assess liver echogenicity were compared.

Methods: Liver/kidney echogenicity ratio was measured in 41 persons with the ultrasound software and visually graded by two radiologists and a radiographer. These echogenicity ratios and grades were related to risk factors for fatty liver and to liver enzyme levels.

Results: These determinants explained 55% of the radiologists' mean grades, 14% of the radiographer's and 31% of the measured echogenicity ratios.

Conclusion: Radiologists' visual gradings correlated best with the indirect determinants of early liver pathology. Computerized measurements may be inferior to visual grading due to the lack of holistic tissue diagnostics.