Hepatic artery resistive and pulsatility indices in the sonographic evaluation of patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Abstract

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most prevalent liver disorder, with a rising incidence in recent years. However, its effects on hepatic artery haemodynamics remain inadequately understood. This study aims to evaluate hepatic artery resistive index (HARI) and hepatic artery pulsatility index (HAPI) and to assess their associations with selected demographic, anthropometric, and biochemical parameters. This prospective case–control, hospital-based study was conducted over an eight-month period and included 152 participants with NAFLD and 138 healthy controls. Data collected included age, weight, height, body mass index (BMI), as well as serum aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and fasting blood sugar (FBS) levels. All participants underwent hepatic Doppler ultrasonography, during which HARI and HAPI were measured. Data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistical methods. The mean HARI and HAPI values among participants with NAFLD were 0.639 ± 0.074 and 1.150 ± 0.249, respectively, compared with 0.707 ± 0.058 and 1.498 ± 0.254 in the control group. Both HARI and HAPI were significantly higher in controls than in participants with NAFLD. Among individuals with NAFLD, HARI and HAPI showed inverse relationships with BMI, and with AST and ALT levels in males. Additionally, both indices were negatively correlated with the severity (grade) of NAFLD. This study demonstrated that hepatic artery resistive and pulsatility indices were significantly lower in patients with NAFLD compared with controls. Moreover, both HARI and HAPI showed a decreasing trend with increasing body mass index and advancing NAFLD grade.