Objective: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a condition characterized by abnormal liver function because of lipid accumulation. NAFLD can range from simple fatty liver, which is usually harmless, to a more severe condition called non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which involves inflammation, liver cell damage, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. Liver biopsy is considered the gold standard for diagnosing and staging hepatosteatosis, but it is an invasive and expensive procedure. Non-invasive methods, such as ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), can provide useful information without the need for an invasive procedure. This study aimed to compare laparoscopic findings of hepatosteatosis with ultrasound data to create a classification that can identify individuals with NASH in operated patients.
Patients and methods: 120 patients who applied to the General Surgery Department of Istinye University Faculty of Medicine between 06/2022 and 12/2022 were included in the study. They were evaluated for hepatosteatosis with preoperative ultrasound. Demographic, physical examination (BMI), laboratory, and radiological findings of the patients were recorded retrospectively. In addition, laparoscopy video recordings were reviewed retrospectively, and the findings were evaluated. Statistical analysis of the findings was made. The p-value was calculated using the Chi-square test; p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: The mean age of 120 patients was 39.04 years, the mean BMI was 34.9 kg/m², and 63.3% of them were female patients. Cholecystectomy was performed in 60 of 120 patients, and sleeve gastrectomy in 60 of them. It has been observed that there is a high correlation between the ultrasound grade and the laparoscopic stage of hepatosteatosis (r=0.849) (p<0.05).
Conclusions: Laparoscopy results to be an effective method in the diagnosis and classification of NASH.