The COSIE study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A study of the COherence of Scatter Identification and Exclusion algorithm
IRAS ID
331086
Contact name
Emma Harris
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
The Institute of Cancer Research
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 5 months, 30 days
Research summary
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is currently the most common liver condition worldwide, 30% of the world population will have NAFLD by 2023. It is also an unwanted side effect of common cancer therapies, such as chemotherapy. Ultrasound can detect NAFLD via measurement of the backscatter coefficient (BSC). It is an attractive technique because its low cost and availability may mean that we can help detect NAFLD in more people earlier via screening. This approach has shown promise in detecting NAFLD, but it is limited by variability in measurement due to a number of factors. Measurement of the BSC requires assumptions to be made about the nature of the tissue being measured; assumptions, which if wrong can lead to inaccurate measurements of BSC. To improve this measurement, an algorithm (COSIE) was developed to quantify the suitability of the tissue for BSC analysis. We believe COSIE will allow more reliable measurements of the BSC through selecting the best regions of the tissue to measure. Through measuring the BSC in the livers of healthy volunteers and patients with fatty livers, the algorithm can be tested against values of percentage liver fat measured using MRI images. This study will assess whether the application of the COSIE algorithm increases the reliability of the BSC measurement process to match the quality of MRI imaging.
REC name
North West - Greater Manchester South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/NW/0086
Date of REC Opinion
30 Apr 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion