UDFF for NAFLD & MASLD — Liver Fat Monitoring | Epoch St Ives
Expert specialist monitor NAFLD and MASLD with UDFF liver fat scanning at Epoch Medical Imaging, St Ives Shopping Village. Objective liver fat tracking for better health outcomes. North Shore.
How UDFF Monitors Disease Progression in NAFLD/MASLD
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) — now also referred to as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) — affects a significant proportion of Australian adults, and most people have no symptoms in the early stages. This is exactly why objective monitoring matters.
UDFF scan provides a reliable, repeatable measurement of liver fat percentage that allows your healthcare team to track the condition over time with precision.
How UDFF supports monitoring:
– Provides an objective baseline measurement of liver fat at the time of diagnosis
– Objectively measures improvement or progression between appointments — removing the subjectivity of standard ultrasound
– Demonstrates the direct impact of lifestyle changes, weight management, or medication on liver fat
– Identifies patients who are improving well (and those who may need more support or adjusted management)
– Provides your GP or gastroenterologist with reliable data to guide ongoing treatment decisions
Because UDFF is non-invasive and safe to repeat, monitoring can continue at regular intervals without any concern for the patient.
Why Regular UDFF Scanning Is Important for Metabolic Liver Disease
Fatty liver disease progresses silently in most patients — the majority feel completely well until the condition has advanced significantly. Regular monitoring with UDFF scan catches changes early, when they are most responsive to lifestyle intervention.
Why regular monitoring makes a real difference:
– Fatty liver can progress from simple steatosis to liver inflammation (steatohepatitis) and then to fibrosis if not appropriately managed.
– Seeing objective evidence of improvement in liver fat is a powerful motivator for patients to maintain lifestyle changes.
– Regular data gives your GP the information needed to intensify management, adjust medications, or refer to a specialist when indicated.
– Early identification of progression enables action before more significant changes occur.
For patients with type 2 diabetes, obesity, high triglycerides, or metabolic syndrome, regular UDFF monitoring is a proactive approach to protecting long-term liver health. Epoch Medical Imaging in St Ives provides UDFF with specialist RANZCR-accredited reporting, conveniently located at St Ives Shopping Village.
NAFLD Risk Factors: Who Should Be Screened?
NAFLD/MASLD is most common in individuals with metabolic risk factors, though it can also occur in people who appear to be a healthy weight. Many people are unaware they have a fatty liver until it is identified on a scan or through abnormal blood tests.
Risk factors that increase the likelihood of fatty liver disease:
– Type 2 diabetes or insulin resistance / pre-diabetes
– Obesity or central weight gain — particularly abdominal fat
– High triglycerides or low HDL cholesterol
– High blood pressure
– Metabolic syndrome (a combination of the above)
– Rapid weight changes
If you have one or more of these risk factors, or if your GP has identified elevated liver function tests or a bright (fatty) liver on a previous ultrasound, a UDFF scan can provide objective, quantitative information about your liver fat content. Speak with your GP about whether UDFF screening is appropriate for your health profile and whether you are at risk of NAFLD.
Combining UDFF with Elastography for Comprehensive Liver Assessment
For the most complete non-invasive liver assessment available, UDFF scan and liver elastography can be performed together in the same appointment at Epoch Medical Imaging in St Ives Shopping Village.
What each investigation provides:
– UDFF: Measures liver fat content (hepatic steatosis) — expressed as a fat fraction percentage.
– Liver elastography (shear wave): Measures liver stiffness — an indicator of fibrosis and scarring.
Together, these two investigations provide your doctor with a complete picture of both the fat burden and the structural health of your liver — comprehensive information that previously required a biopsy for most patients. This combined assessment is particularly valuable for:
– Initial staging of NAFLD/MASLD at the time of diagnosis
– Monitoring treatment response — tracking improvements in both fat and stiffness over time
– Assessing patients before and after significant weight loss or bariatric surgery
Ask your GP about a combined liver assessment referral for Epoch Medical Imaging in St Ives Shopping Village — call (02) 9129 6999.
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