Abstract
A reliable and inexpensive noninvasive marker of hepatic fibrosis is required in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). AST/ALT ration (AAR) and platelet (PLT) count have been expected to detect or exclude advanced fibrosis in chronic liver diseases. A total of 259 patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD were involved in the present study. ROC analysis revealed that the optimal cutoff values of PLT count and AAR to differentiate advanced stage (stage 3 or 4) from no or mild fibrosis (stage 0 to 2) were 19.5×104/μL and 0.8, respectively. Patients with PLT ≥19.5×104/μL and AAR <0.8 were more unlikely to have advanced stage of NAFLD (negative predictive value: 98%).
