Liver Fibrosis assessment (elastography)
What liver elastography is
Liver elastography is a scan that measures the stiffness of the liver. It is sometimes called a FibroScan or a Shearwave scan. A stiffer liver usually means more scarring, so the reading gives a measure of liver scarring without the need for a biopsy. The same scan also measures how much fat is in the liver. There are no needles, no radiation and no sedation. Both results are numbers, so they can be compared with future scans. Liver elastography is the most robust non invasive test for assessment of future liver risk.
Why the scan is used
Scarring of the liver is known as fibrosis. The amount of scarring is the best guide to how the liver is coping, and to what treatment and monitoring are needed. The scan is commonly used for:
Fatty liver disease, to check whether the liver has been damaged and to follow it over time
Hepatitis B and hepatitis C, before and after treatment
Liver injury related to alcohol
Abnormal liver blood tests that are being investigated
Known cirrhosis, where stiffness also helps assess the pressure in the liver blood vessels
A single reading does not make a diagnosis on its own. It is read together with the rest of the ultrasound, your blood tests and your history. James will usually assess your history, blood tests, and consider these along with the liver elastography scan to provide an assessment for your referring doctors.
What happens on the day
Please allow about 30 minutes for the appointment. The scan is not painful. There are no restrictions afterwards, so you can eat, drive and return to work straight away. James will explain the results during the scan, with advice on how often it should be repeated and further management.