Fibroscan: What is it, and how will it help me?

What are the risks?

There are no adverse risks or side effects from a fibroscan.

Fibroscan

What is it, and how will it help me?

(Above) The ultrasound probe, and (below) how it is applied

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Fibroscan scores are a very useful tool, but they are not the whole picture. Your doctor or nurse will take into account all the information they have about your health when they make recommendations to you about your treatment options, not just the scan results.

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Last update: April 2022

What is a fibrosis scan?

What will happen?

Your doctor, liver specialist or liver clinic nurse may ask you to have a fibrosis scan (or fibroscan), to get a better idea of the amount of damage that has been done to your liver from having hepatitis B or hepatitis C.

1. There is no pain, and no need for sedation.

However, you should fast for 3 hours beforehand. Eating may affect the result.

2. You will lie on your back with your right arm behind your head.

Sometimes called transient elastography (TE), fibrosis scanning is a non-invasive method of assessing fibrosis, which is liver tissue that has hardened and scarred, forming fibres. It is a recent ultrasound-based technology, like that used to monitor the health of unborn babies in pregnant women.

Fibroscans are becoming a standard monitoring tool for hepatitis C and liver damage. Having a series of scans over time can show an increase, decrease or stability in liver fibrosis.

It can be done at the liver clinic, so there is no waiting time after the scan is completed.

3. The probe is placed on the right-hand side of your body, over your liver.

4. The probe generates a mechanical pulse. You will feel a slight tap as the probe sends this pulse of sound into the liver.

Performed at the bedside in the clinic, a mechanical pulse of sound, inaudible to human ears, is generated at the skin surface by a probe.

This pulse passes through the liver. The velocity of the wave is measured by ultrasound. The speed of this wave correlates with the “stiffness” of the liver, which in turn reflects the degree of fibrosis: generally, the stiffer the liver, the greater the degree of fibrosis.

A fibroscan can give an accurate assessment of liver fibrosis and help you make decisions about lifestyle changes or treatment.

5. The probe takes 10 measurements to give a true reading–this reading is given in kilopascals (KPa) and is the middle of the 10 scores.

• Scores lower than 7KPa indicate no or insignificant liver fibrosis.

• Scores between 7KPa and 12KPa indicate moderate fibrosis.

• Scores higher than12KPa indicate severe fibrosis or cirrhosis.

6. The whole test should only take around 15 minutes.