Evaluating Pediatric NAFLD with Controlled Attenuation Parameter: A Comprehensive Narrative Review
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in the pediatric population has emerged as a significant health concern due to its alarming rise in prevalence. In children, the characteristics of the disease differ from those seen in adults. NAFLD may progress to more severe liver disease in children comp...
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| author | Ingrid Arteaga Carla Chacón Alba Martínez-Escudé Irene Ruiz Rojano Galadriel Diez-Fadrique Meritxell Carmona-Cervelló Pere Torán-Monserrat |
| author_facet | Ingrid Arteaga Carla Chacón Alba Martínez-Escudé Irene Ruiz Rojano Galadriel Diez-Fadrique Meritxell Carmona-Cervelló Pere Torán-Monserrat |
| author_sort | Ingrid Arteaga |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in the pediatric population has emerged as a significant health concern due to its alarming rise in prevalence. In children, the characteristics of the disease differ from those seen in adults. NAFLD may progress to more severe liver disease in children compared to adults with similar profiles. Liver biopsy remains the gold standard for diagnosis; its invasive nature and high cost limit its use as a first-line tool. Alternatively, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques, such as magnetic resonance imaging-estimated liver proton density fat fraction (MRI-PDFF), have shown a good correlation with the degree of histological steatosis, although their use is limited by high costs and limited accessibility. Controlled attenuation parameter (CAP), integrated with vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE) (FibroScan<sup>®</sup>), is a novel non-invasive, accessible, and effective method for diagnosing hepatic steatosis. In this article, we reviewed the existing literature on the diagnostic accuracy of CAP in pediatric NAFLD. The PubMed and EMBASE databases were searched. Seven relevant studies were identified, conducted in pediatric hospital populations with specific demographic characteristics. Two of these studies compared CAP with liver biopsy, one compared CAP with liver biopsy and MRI-PDFF, and the remaining four compared CAP with MRI. Overall, CAP proved to be accurate in detecting the presence or absence of fatty infiltration, positioning it as a promising tool to simplify the diagnosis of NAFLD in children. However, further studies in larger populations are needed to confirm these findings and facilitate its implementation in routine clinical practice. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-fb0b474cdcd14892b233e53bea6be322 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2075-4418 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Diagnostics |
| spelling | doaj-art-fb0b474cdcd14892b233e53bea6be3222025-08-20T02:48:09ZengMDPI AGDiagnostics2075-44182025-01-0115329910.3390/diagnostics15030299Evaluating Pediatric NAFLD with Controlled Attenuation Parameter: A Comprehensive Narrative ReviewIngrid Arteaga0Carla Chacón1Alba Martínez-Escudé2Irene Ruiz Rojano3Galadriel Diez-Fadrique4Meritxell Carmona-Cervelló5Pere Torán-Monserrat6Unitat de Suport a la Recerca (USR) Metropolitana Nord, Fundació Institut Universitari d’Investigació en Atenció Primària Jordi Gol i Gurina (IDIAP Jordi Gol), 08303 Mataró, SpainUnitat de Suport a la Recerca (USR) Metropolitana Nord, Fundació Institut Universitari d’Investigació en Atenció Primària Jordi Gol i Gurina (IDIAP Jordi Gol), 08303 Mataró, SpainUnitat de Suport a la Recerca (USR) Metropolitana Nord, Fundació Institut Universitari d’Investigació en Atenció Primària Jordi Gol i Gurina (IDIAP Jordi Gol), 08303 Mataró, SpainUnitat de Suport a la Recerca (USR) Metropolitana Nord, Fundació Institut Universitari d’Investigació en Atenció Primària Jordi Gol i Gurina (IDIAP Jordi Gol), 08303 Mataró, SpainUnitat de Suport a la Recerca (USR) Metropolitana Nord, Fundació Institut Universitari d’Investigació en Atenció Primària Jordi Gol i Gurina (IDIAP Jordi Gol), 08303 Mataró, SpainUnitat de Suport a la Recerca (USR) Metropolitana Nord, Fundació Institut Universitari d’Investigació en Atenció Primària Jordi Gol i Gurina (IDIAP Jordi Gol), 08303 Mataró, SpainUnitat de Suport a la Recerca (USR) Metropolitana Nord, Fundació Institut Universitari d’Investigació en Atenció Primària Jordi Gol i Gurina (IDIAP Jordi Gol), 08303 Mataró, SpainNon-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in the pediatric population has emerged as a significant health concern due to its alarming rise in prevalence. In children, the characteristics of the disease differ from those seen in adults. NAFLD may progress to more severe liver disease in children compared to adults with similar profiles. Liver biopsy remains the gold standard for diagnosis; its invasive nature and high cost limit its use as a first-line tool. Alternatively, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques, such as magnetic resonance imaging-estimated liver proton density fat fraction (MRI-PDFF), have shown a good correlation with the degree of histological steatosis, although their use is limited by high costs and limited accessibility. Controlled attenuation parameter (CAP), integrated with vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE) (FibroScan<sup>®</sup>), is a novel non-invasive, accessible, and effective method for diagnosing hepatic steatosis. In this article, we reviewed the existing literature on the diagnostic accuracy of CAP in pediatric NAFLD. The PubMed and EMBASE databases were searched. Seven relevant studies were identified, conducted in pediatric hospital populations with specific demographic characteristics. Two of these studies compared CAP with liver biopsy, one compared CAP with liver biopsy and MRI-PDFF, and the remaining four compared CAP with MRI. Overall, CAP proved to be accurate in detecting the presence or absence of fatty infiltration, positioning it as a promising tool to simplify the diagnosis of NAFLD in children. However, further studies in larger populations are needed to confirm these findings and facilitate its implementation in routine clinical practice.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4418/15/3/299NAFLDnon-alcoholic fatty liver diseaseCAPcontrolled attenuation parameterelastographyliver |
| spellingShingle | Ingrid Arteaga Carla Chacón Alba Martínez-Escudé Irene Ruiz Rojano Galadriel Diez-Fadrique Meritxell Carmona-Cervelló Pere Torán-Monserrat Evaluating Pediatric NAFLD with Controlled Attenuation Parameter: A Comprehensive Narrative Review Diagnostics NAFLD non-alcoholic fatty liver disease CAP controlled attenuation parameter elastography liver |
| title | Evaluating Pediatric NAFLD with Controlled Attenuation Parameter: A Comprehensive Narrative Review |
| title_full | Evaluating Pediatric NAFLD with Controlled Attenuation Parameter: A Comprehensive Narrative Review |
| title_fullStr | Evaluating Pediatric NAFLD with Controlled Attenuation Parameter: A Comprehensive Narrative Review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evaluating Pediatric NAFLD with Controlled Attenuation Parameter: A Comprehensive Narrative Review |
| title_short | Evaluating Pediatric NAFLD with Controlled Attenuation Parameter: A Comprehensive Narrative Review |
| title_sort | evaluating pediatric nafld with controlled attenuation parameter a comprehensive narrative review |
| topic | NAFLD non-alcoholic fatty liver disease CAP controlled attenuation parameter elastography liver |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4418/15/3/299 |
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