The Combination of Noninvasive Tests and Fibroscan for the Assessment of Liver Fibrosis among Patients with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Abstract

Background: Most prevalent chronic liver disease in developed and developing nations is non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. From fatty liver, which often has benign, non-progressive clinical history, to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, a more serious variant of fatty liver that can lead to cirrhosis and end-stage liver disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease encompasses broad spectrum of diseases. The gold standard for determining extent of hepatic fibrosis is still liver biopsy; however, number of noninvasive tests have been established to make diagnosis and assess effectiveness of treatment.

Objective: Aim of study was to assess effectiveness of the combination of fibroscan and noninvasive biochemical tests and scoring systems for assessing liver fibrosis.

Subjects and Methods: Cross-sectional prospective study conducted at outpatient clinic of Baghdad Gastroenterology and Hepatology Teaching Hospital from October 2018-March 2020. One hundred patients with fatty liver selected and subjected to specific questionnaires.

Results: One hundred patients with fatty liver studied; fifty-five (55%) males, forty-five (45%) females. Mean age was (45 ±12.24) years, females were significantly older. Mean stiffness score was 11.7(SD:5.29) KPa. Forty-six (46%) patients had advanced fibrosis. The Positive correlation between FibroScan examination results and the noninvasive scores results was significant, as well as there was significant positive correlation between age and stiffness score and significant negative correlation between platelet count and stiffness score.

Conclusions: This study showed that half patients showed advanced fibrosis, highlighting the need for early detection and management of fatty liver patients. Implementation of FibroScan with noninvasive fibrosis scoring tools has been shown to be helpful in this situation.