Is transient elastography a useful tool for screening liver disease?

Abstract

Transient elastography (TE) is a new non invasive tool for measuring liver stiffness, which is correlated to the histologic stage of liver fibrosis. Several studies in chronic liver disease (CLD) have determined a good accuracy of TE in predicting significant fibrosis and an optimal accuracy in predicting cirrhosis. Normal liver stiffness ranges between 3.3-7.8 KPa and using a cut off of 7.1 KPa, significant fibrosis and cirrhosis can be excluded with a very high negative predictive value (NPV). Positive predictive value (PPV) for the diagnosis of cirrhosis is lower using just a single scan but increases to 90% if high stiffness values are confirmed by a second independent scan. However the presence of fatty liver and metabolic syndrome slightly increases the readings and may reduce the accuracy of the test. It is uncertain if this increase is related to the presence of steatofibrosis or if it is caused by steatosis itself. TE can be used in screening patients attending the liver clinics to identify those with significant fibrosis or cirrhosis and may be particularly useful in discriminating HBV inactive carriers from chronic hepatitis B patients. TE, however, is not reliable in predicting the presence of esophageal varices in cirrhotics. Another potential indication for TE is the systematic screening of populations at high risk for CLD, such as intravenous drug users and alcoholics, but further studies are needed to determine its diagnostic accuracy in these settings. INTRODUCTIONTransient elastography (TE) is a new non invasive tool for measuring liver stiffness, which is correlated to the histologic stage of liver fibrosis [1] . The device (Fibroscan) generates an elastic wave by means of a vibrator applied to the thoracic wall at the level of the right liver lobe. The vibrator produces a shot and a low amplitude shear wave propagating through the liver parenchyma. The velocity of propagation is directly proportional to liver stiffness and is automatically calculated by the instrument. The range of measurements, expressed in kilopascals, varies from 2.5 to 74 KPa.Many studies have been published on the use of TE in patients with already diagnosed chronic liver disease (CLD) but few have addressed the issue of its possible use as a first line examination in the liver clinic or in facilities where patients at risk of liver disease are attending. HOW TO TAKE AND INTERPRET THE MEASUREMENTSIn order to obtain valid and reproducible measurements the probe should be placed at the center of the right liver lobe, two intercostal spaces below the upper liver margin and at the level of the anterior or middle axillary line. If measurements are taken below this point and too close to the lower liver edge both the percentage of valid shots and the median stiffness tend to decrease [2] . Ultrasound assistance to locate the upper liver margin is usually unnecessary if the patient is reasonably thin because the liver can be recognized by percussion alone. The device incorporates an M-mode window enabling the ope...

Liver stiffness measurement in the risk assessment of hepatocellular carcinoma for patients with chronic hepatitis

“…A recent prospective and longitudinal study also demonstrated the association between liver stiffness and HCC development in patients with chronic hepatitis C [24]. LSM had the potential indication of systemic screening of populations at high risk of chronic liver disease [25]. In our study, LSM was demonstrated useful in stratifying high-risk group of HCC presence in cirrhosis patients.…”

Pancreatic Diabetes Mellitus and Heavy Drinking are Risk Factors for the Development of Liver Fibrosis in Alcoholic Chronic Pancreatitis

“…The method has been evaluated extensively in patients with chronic hepatitis C infection [15][16][17][18][19]. It was recently demonstrated, that the degree of liver stiffness measured by TE in CP patients with concomitant cholestasis was correlated with the histologically indicated stage of liver fibrosis [6].…”

“…Noninvasive markers are increasingly used for the assessment of liver fibrosis, such as serum biomarkers and transient elastography (TE). TE was originally developed to measure the stage of liver fibrosis by assessing the stiffness of the liver in a noninvasive manner through the use of ultrasonography in cases of chronic hepatitis C infection [15][16][17][18][19]. TE has been demonstrated to be a suitable method to reveal the severity of liver fibrosis in CP and concomitant cholestasis through measurement of the liver stiffness [6].…”

Romanian national guidelines and practical recommendations on liver elastography

“…Liver fibrosis should not be assessed by TE in pregnant women and in patients with cardiac pacemaker [17].…”