Fatty liver

Hepatic steatosis or fatty liver is the excessive accumilation of fatty acids (triglyceride) in the form of lipid droplets in the cytoplasm of hepatocytes (1,2).

Fatty liver can be:

• alcohol related fatty liver disease
• non- alcohiolic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) - in the absence of excessive alcohol consumption (2)

Histologically steatosis can be

• macrovacuolar steatosis - there are large intracytoplasmic vacuoles which displacecs the nucleus to the periphery of the cells.
• microvacuolar steatosis - smaller vacuoles are present, the nucleus is in a central position, can occur with the macrovacuolar form (1)

Reference:

• (1) Vilgrain V et al Hepatic steatosis: a major trap in liver imaging. Diagn Interv Imaging. 2013 94(7-8):713-27.
• (2) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) III 2010. Hepatic Steatosis Ultrasound Images Assessment