Prospective comparison of two algorithms combining non-invasive methods for staging liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C

Non-invasive assessment of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C

“…In a recent study where these two approaches were compared in the same population of patients with chronic hepatitis C, the number of saved liver biopsies was significantly higher using the combination of TE and Fibrotest Ò than SAFE Biopsy algorithm for detecting significant fibrosis (72 vs. 48%, respectively; P \ 0.0001) [113].…”

Bayesian prediction for liver fibrosis staging: Combined use of elastography and serum fibrosis markers

“…3 One recent study demonstrated that acute liver failure triggered the activation of hepatic stellate cells and enhanced the formation of ECM, which reciprocally provide an optimal architecture for support of hepatocyte repopulation. 4 Among animals assigned to the intraportal transplantation group, an approximately and completely healthy liver structure was exhibited at weeks 3 and 5, respectively. It is likely that hBMSCderived parenchymal and nonparenchymal cells coevolve in facilitating the regenerative process.…”

“…Algorithms for combined use of serum markers and elastography have been proposed, with specific cut-off values being used in the decision trees. [3][4][5] However, a cut-off value for staging always involves a compromise between sensitivity and specificity. The use of Bayesian prediction to stage liver fibrosis involves calculating the stage based on elastographic or serum biomarker measures (see Appendix).…”

APASL consensus statements and recommendations for hepatitis C prevention, epidemiology, and laboratory testing

“…Although noninvasive markers and transient elastography are only useful for identifying those patients with no fibrosis or with advanced fibrosis, a stepwise algorithm incorporating noninvasive markers and/or transient elastography may enhance the accuracy of diagnosis and significantly reduce the number of liver biopsies [196,197]. However, application of the algorithm in clinical practice remains to be validated.…”