Accuracy of MR Imaging and MR Spectroscopy for Detection and Quantification of Hepatic Steatosis in Living Liver Donors: A Meta-Analysis

Purpose To determine the accuracy of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging for detection and quantification of hepatic steatosis (HS) in living liver donor candidates. Materials and Methods A systematic search of the literature was performed to find studies on the diagnostic and quantitative accuracy of MR imaging for assessment of HS in liver donors. The Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies 2 tool was used, and patient selection, index text, reference standard, and study flow and timing were assessed to evaluate the quality of each included study. Pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratios, hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and the area under the curve were estimated by using hierarchical summary ROC and bivariate random-effects models. Results Eight studies involving 934 subjects were eligible for the meta-analysis. For detection of HS with MR imaging and/or MR spectroscopy in living liver donors, the pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, and negative likelihood ratio, respectively, were 0.89 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.75, 0.95), 0.84 (95% CI: 0.76, 0.89), 5.53 (95% CI: 3.71, 8.25), and 0.14 (95% CI: 0.06, 0.31). The area under the curve was 0.92 (95% CI: 0.89, 0.94). For detection of substantial HS (>10% to >30% HS at liver pathologic examination, as defined in each study), these corresponding diagnostic estimates were 0.91 (95% CI: 0.82, 0.95), 0.89 (95% CI: 0.84, 0.93), 8.30 (95% CI: 5.47, 12.59), 0.10 (95% CI: 0.05, 0.21), and 0.96 (95% CI: 0.93, 0.97), respectively. Moderate heterogeneity was detected. No publication bias was detected (P = .12). Conclusion MR imaging and MR spectroscopy show high sensitivity and specificity for detection of HS, especially when HS is substantial, and may be useful for noninvasive evaluation of HS in living liver donors. © RSNA, 2016 Online supplemental material is available for this article.