Fibroscan: a noninvasive test of liver fibrosis assessment

Determination of the extent of progress of hepatic fibrosis is important in clinical practice, where it may reflect the severity of liver disease and predict response to treatment. Percutaneous liver biopsy is the gold standard for grading and staging of liver disease. However, liver biopsy is an invasive procedure with certain unavoidable risks and complications. Several methods have been studied in an attempt to reach a diagnosis of cirrhosis by noninvasive means. Fibroscan has been designed to quantify liver fibrosis by means of elastography and found to have reasonably good sensitivity and specificity patterns, especially in patients with advanced fibrosis and can be used as an alternative to liver biopsy.