Poster Session : PS 0286 ; Gastroenterology : Clinical Usefulness of Visceral Fat in Fatty Liver Severity

Background: Obesity, especially central obesity is a risk factor of fatty liver. Whereas abdominal ultrasound is widely used to detect hepatic steatosis, it is unable to provide a precise information of hepatic fat content. Liver biopsy is not frequently performed because of its invasive nature although it is accurate. The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between histologic degree of fatty liver and visceral fat. Methods: Forty seven patients with fatty liver or fatty metamorphosis in liver biopsy fi nding were enrolled. They were diagnosed from January 2003 to July 2008. Abdominal computerized tomography (CT) was performed on all subjects within a month of liver biopsy. Biopsy specimens were reviewed by two pathologists. The degree of steatosis was graded as minimal, mild (grade 1), moderate (grade 2) and severe (grade 3). Grade 0 was defi ned when the patients had no evidence of fatty liver in biopsy specimenalthough they were diagnosed via imaging study (ultrasound or CT). Abdominal fat area (total fat, visceral fat, subcutaneous fat) were quantifi ed using abdominal CT. Liver fat content in biopsy specimen was also estimated quantitatively by morphometric analysis. Results: The grades of hepatic steatosis were 0 in 7, minimal in 7, mild in 22, and moderate to severe in 11 patients. Baseline characteristics between groups according to the histologic degree were not signifi cantly different. Visceral fat/total fat ratio correlated signifi cantly with the grades of steatosis (0. 43±0. 14, 0. 49±0. 05, 0. 52±0. 10, 0. 56±0. 05, respectively). The liver fat content measured by morphometry also correlated signifi cantly with visceral fat/total fat ratio. Conclusions: Visceral fat, as a marker of central obesity, was correlated signifi cantly with the histologic degree of hepatic steatosis. Measurement of abdominal fat area by CT will be clinically useful for prediction of histologic degree of fatty liver.