The evaluation of non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease in children with obesity with vibration‐controlled transient elastography

Introduction Parallel to the worldwide increase in obesity, the epidemic of chronic liver disease is increasing also in pediatric population. Our aim is to provide a different outlook on the current screening confusion in pediatric non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) with the non‐invasive vibration‐controlled transient elastography (VCTE) method. Materials and Methods This single‐center, cross‐sectional, comparative study was performed at the tertiary center, included 95 patients with obesity and 116 controls, both groups were 9–18 years of ages. VCTE examinations performed in all patients. The cut‐off values for controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) and liver stiffness measurement (LSM) were established by comparing the study and control groups. Results The cut‐off for CAP was determined as >236 dB/m when comparing the two groups. The AUC was 0.900 (95% CI, 0.851–0.937) and the diagnostic accuracy was 77.9% and 91.4% for sensitivity and specificity, respectively. The cut‐off value for LSM >5 kPa was determined by comparison of the two groups. The AUC was 0.794 (95% CI, 0.733–0.846) and the diagnostic accuracies were 50.5% and 90.5% for sensitivity and specificity, respectively. Conclusions There is no benchmark method for screening pediatric NAFLD. However, VCTE is a promising method for screening pediatric NAFLD. It is accessible, repeatable and practical.