Hepatic steatosis is a common incidental finding on abdominal imaging, a group led by Dr. Rubal Penna of Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle noted. But it s not always taken seriously, despite the fact that it is associated with liver disease, cirrhosis, and diabetes.
In the new study, Penna s group explored whether adding a standardized note regarding incidentally identified hepatic steatosis to a patient s radiology report would not only help referring clinicians follow up but also identify significant disease.
The study included 1,256 patients who underwent either CT or ultrasound and whose reports included a note about the presence of hepatic steatosis between April 2016 and September 2017. The researchers assessed whether any follow-up clinical action had been taken in response, tracking patient demographics, type of referring provider, and urgency of exam results.