Evaluating Pediatric NAFLD with Controlled Attenuation Parameter : A Comprehensive Narrative Review
Arteaga, Ingrid (Institut Universitari d'Investigació en Atenció Primària Jordi Gol)
Chacón, Carla (Institut Universitari d'Investigació en Atenció Primària Jordi Gol)
Martínez-Escudé, Alba (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Medicina)
Ruiz-Rojano, Irene (Institut Universitari d'Investigació en Atenció Primària Jordi Gol)
Diez-Fadrique, Galadriel (Institut Universitari d'Investigació en Atenció Primària Jordi Gol)
Carmona Cervelló, Meritxell (Institut Universitari d'Investigació en Atenció Primària Jordi Gol)
Torán Montserrat, Pere (Institut Germans Trias i Pujol. Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol)

Date:	2025
Abstract:	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 ®), 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.
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	NAFLD ; Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease ; CAP ; Controlled attenuation parameter ; Elastography ; Liver ; Children ; Adolescents ; Pediatrics
Published in:	Diagnostics, Vol. 15 (january 2025) , ISSN 2075-4418

DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics15030299
PMID: 39941229

18 p, 319.1 KB

The record appears in these collections:
Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Health sciences and biosciences > Institut d'Investigació en Ciencies de la Salut Germans Trias i Pujol (IGTP)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles