Abstract #0402

Proton Density Fat Fraction Is a Highly Accurate Biomarker of Hepatic Steatosis in Adolescent Girls and Young Women

Jennifer Leigh Rehm¹, Peter Wolfgram¹, Ellen Lacon Connor¹, Wei Zha², David Allen¹, Diego Hernando³, Scott B. Reeder⁴

¹Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States; ²Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States; ³Radiology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States; ⁴Radiology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States

Hepatic steatosis (HS) is a serious and growing problem in pediatrics. HS screening, including ultrasound or aminotransferases, are insensitive to early disease. In a diverse group of 132 adolescents, we demonstrate that proton density fat-fraction (PDFF) measured with quantitative MRI is a clinically relevant, non-invasive method for early detection and quantitative staging of hepatic steatosis. PDFF correlates with metabolic risk but BMI and ALT were not predictive of HS in overweight subjects. PDFF measured with quantitative MRI is a promising method for early identification of HS, allowing intervention prior to development of irreversible hepatic injury and progression of metabolic disease.