FibroScan or transitional elastography is a diagnostic technique that allows measuring the elasticity of liver tissue and thus assessing the existence of liver fibrosis. The latest generation of equipment incorporates the CAP (controlled attenuation parameter) which allows quantification of the percentage of fatty infiltration of the liver. The use of FibroScan is especially indicated for the study of liver diseases and it is important to remember that it is a non-invasive technique because it does not involve any risk for the patient nor does it present any complications.
Its use has become popular and widespread in recent years, but it is especially useful in the initial study of liver diseases such as hepatitis B and C, autoimmune hepatitis, biliary diseases such as primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), steatosis or alcoholic liver disease (ALD) and non-alcoholic hepatic steatosis (NASH).
How is the test performed?
To perform the FibroScan it is necessary to fast and not to have smoked for three hours prior to the examination. The doctor will ask you to lie down on a stretcher in a horizontal position with your gaze upwards and to place your right hand under your head. A probe will be placed on the lower part of the right side of the thorax which, depending on the characteristics of each patient, may be an M or XL probe. These probes emit an ultrasound that measures the propagation speed of an elastic wave previously produced by a mechanical pulse. It is a non-painful technique and only a slight pressure can be felt on the skin.
This technique can be applied to most patients, although in those with obesity, narrow intercostal spaces or anatomical alterations of the rib cage, the technique may present limitations. The existence of ascites (fluid in the abdominal cavity) may prevent valid measurements from being obtained.
In the case of pregnant women, the FibroScan technique is contraindicated and also in patients with pacemakers and/or cardiac defibrillators or other active implanted devices.
As for its advantages over other techniques, FibroScan avoids, on many occasions, the need for a liver biopsy and its complications. In addition, it studies a volume of tissue 100 times greater than that of a liver biopsy and, as it is risk-free, it can be repeated as often as necessary.
Another advantage is that it allows the need for treatment to be assessed and provides information regarding the long-term follow-up and prognosis of a given liver disease.