Miele Luca, Forgione Alessandra, Gasbarrini Giovanni, Grieco Antonio
Department of Internal Medicine, Universitá Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Roma, Italy.
Transl Res. 2007 Mar;149(3):114-25. doi: 10.1016/j.trsl.2006.11.011.
The term "non-alcoholic fatty liver disease" (NAFLD) encompasses a wide range of pathological conditions ranging from accumulation of fat (fatty liver) to various degrees of inflammation and fibrosis (NASH), and finally to cryptogenic cirrhosis and its clinical sequelae (HCC, liver decompensation). The progression from one stage to the next can be triggered by genetic and environmental factors alone and also through their interaction. Fatty liver is known to follow a benign course, whereas the presence of inflammation, ballooning degeneration, and fibrosis, which are typical features of NASH, can lead to cirrhosis. Despite the serious risks associated with NASH, there are few tools for monitoring the progression of the disease and identification of high-risk patients. The aim of this article is to review the pros and cons of some noninvasive methods for assessing liver fibrosis in NASH.
术语“非酒精性脂肪性肝病”（NAFLD）涵盖了广泛的病理状况，从脂肪堆积（脂肪肝）到不同程度的炎症和纤维化（非酒精性脂肪性肝炎，NASH），最终发展为隐源性肝硬化及其临床后果（肝细胞癌，肝失代偿）。从一个阶段到下一个阶段的进展可能仅由遗传和环境因素引发，也可能通过它们之间的相互作用引发。已知脂肪肝病程良性，而NASH的典型特征——炎症、气球样变性和纤维化的存在，可导致肝硬化。尽管NASH存在严重风险，但用于监测疾病进展和识别高危患者的工具却很少。本文旨在综述一些评估NASH肝纤维化的非侵入性方法的优缺点。
