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Theranostics 2023; 13(12):4217-4228. doi:10.7150/thno.78548 This issue Cite

Research Paper

Multimodal assessment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease with transmission-reflection optoacoustic ultrasound

Berkan Lafci^1,2, Anna Hadjihambi^3,4,5, Madita Determann⁶, Christos Konstantinou^3,4,5, Clara Freijo⁷, Joaquin L. Herraiz^7,8, Sena Blümel⁶, Luc Pellerin^5,9, Neal C. Burton¹⁰, Xosé Luís Deán-Ben^1,2, Daniel Razansky^1,2,✉

1. Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology and Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
2. Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, ETH Zurich, Switzerland.
3. The Roger Williams Institute of Hepatology, Foundation for Liver Research, London, UK.
4. Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London.
5. Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
6. Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
7. Nuclear Physics Group and IPARCOS, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
8. Health Research Institute of Hospital Clínico San Carlos (IdISSC), Madrid, Spain.
9. Inserm U1313, Université et CHU de Poitiers, Poitiers, France.
10. iThera Medical GmbH, Munich, Germany.

✉ Corresponding author: daniel.razanskych.

Abstract

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is an umbrella term referring to a group of conditions associated to fat deposition and damage of liver tissue. Early detection of fat accumulation is essential to avoid progression of NAFLD to serious pathological stages such as liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.

Methods: We exploited the unique capabilities of transmission-reflection optoacoustic ultrasound (TROPUS), which combines the advantages of optical and acoustic contrasts, for an early-stage multi-parametric assessment of NAFLD in mice.

Results: The multispectral optoacoustic imaging allowed for spectroscopic differentiation of lipid content, as well as the bio-distributions of oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin in liver tissues in vivo. The pulse-echo (reflection) ultrasound (US) imaging further provided a valuable anatomical reference whilst transmission US facilitated the mapping of speed of sound changes in lipid-rich regions, which was consistent with the presence of macrovesicular hepatic steatosis in the NAFLD livers examined with ex vivo histological staining.

Conclusion: The proposed multimodal approach facilitates quantification of liver abnormalities at early stages using a variety of optical and acoustic contrasts, laying the ground for translating the TROPUS approach toward diagnosis and monitoring NAFLD in patients.

Keywords: Optoacoustic Tomography, Speed of Sound Imaging, Reflection Ultrasound Computed Tomography, Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Steatosis

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