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Author Spotlight: Advancing Hepatic Fibrosis Diagnosis Using Magnetic Resonance Elastography and AI
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Author Spotlight: Advancing Hepatic Fibrosis Diagnosis Using Magnetic Resonance Elastography and AI

Published on: July 21, 2023

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Prospective evaluation of FibroTest®, FibroMeter®, and HepaScore® for staging liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B:

Vincent Leroy1, Nathalie Sturm2, Patrice Faure3

  • 1Clinique Universitaire d'Hépato-Gastroentérologie, Pôle DIGIDUNE, CHU de Grenoble, France; Unité INSERM/Université Grenoble Alpes U823, IAPC Institut Albert Bonniot, Grenoble, France.

Journal of Hepatology
|March 18, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Fibrosis blood tests show similar diagnostic performance for hepatitis B and C. However, these tests may underestimate significant fibrosis and cirrhosis in hepatitis B patients, requiring careful interpretation.

Area of Science:

  • Hepatology
  • Diagnostic Accuracy
  • Biomarkers

Background:

  • Fibrosis blood tests are validated for chronic hepatitis C but less documented for hepatitis B.
  • Accurate staging of liver fibrosis is crucial for managing viral hepatitis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the diagnostic performance of FibroTest®, FibroMeter®, and HepaScore® for liver fibrosis in hepatitis B versus hepatitis C.
  • To assess the accuracy of non-invasive fibrosis markers in hepatitis B infection.

Main Methods:

  • A study included 510 patients with mono-infection of hepatitis B or C, matched for fibrosis stage.
  • Liver biopsy was performed, and histological lesions were staged using the METAVIR classification.
  • Blood tests for fibrosis were conducted on the day of liver biopsy.

Main Results:

  • Overall diagnostic performance was similar between hepatitis B and C, with AUROC values for fibrosis stages ranging from 0.75 to 0.87.
  • Optimal cut-offs for fibrosis tests were consistently lower in hepatitis B, leading to decreased sensitivity and negative predictive values.
  • Underestimation of significant fibrosis (F≥3) was more frequent in hepatitis B patients (41-47%) compared to hepatitis C patients (6-26%).

Conclusions:

  • Non-invasive blood tests demonstrate comparable overall diagnostic performance for liver fibrosis in both hepatitis B and C.
  • There is a higher risk of underestimating significant fibrosis and cirrhosis in hepatitis B patients.
  • Adjusting cut-offs may not fully correct for the underestimation of fibrosis in hepatitis B.
Abstract

Keywords:
Blood testsCirrhosisDiagnostic performanceFibrosisNon-invasive diagnosis

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