Use of Fibro Scan in Patients with Chronic Liver Disease

Portal hypertension is one of the important complications of Chronic Liver Disease and its early recognition is of paramount importance. Though liver biopsy remains the gold standard for diagnosing liver fibrosis and upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy plays an important role in diagnosing different findings of portal hypertension, various noninvasive methods like FibroScan are being increasingly used nowadays to diagnose liver fibrosis. The study that I am talking about is published in the Journal of the Association of Physician of India (JAPI).

A total of 114 patients with Chronic Liver Disease and compensated cirrhosis were included in the study. All the patients underwent a detailed history and physical and gastrointestinal examination. Complete blood count (CBC), liver function test (LFT), kidney function test (KFT), and viral markers were done. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) to platelet ratio index (APRI) score was calculated, liver fibrosis was estimated by FibroScan, and evidence of portal hypertension was documented by upper GI endoscopy.

The results of the study showed that alcoholic liver disease (ALD) was the most common cause (43%) of chronic liver disease closely followed by nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in 42% of cases followed by chronic viral hepatitis, 75% of patients had evidence of portal hypertension.

The study, therefore, concluded that FibroScan was found to be more sensitive and specific to detect portal hypertension and its various endoscopic manifestations. In areas where there is a scarcity of trained endoscopists and gastroenterologists, noninvasive markers like FibroScan can be of a valuable tool in detecting portal hypertension.

Reference: Goutam Debnath1, Avik Chakraborty2 "A Study on FibroScan and Endoscopic Finding in Patients of Chronic Liver Disease attending Tripura Medical College and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Memorial Teaching Hospital"; Volume Issue:70, JAPI.