FibroScan®, also called transient elastography, is an accurate, non-invasive, painless aid for managing patients with liver disease.
FibroScan® works by emitting a pulse of energy, which you may feel as a slight vibration on your skin. FibroScan® then measures the speed of this energy and immediately provides this information to your physician, who then uses it as part of a broader evaluation of your liver health.
FibroScan® is today’s latest technology for quickly and painlessly evaluating liver health. When performed as an overall evaluation, FibroScan® provides valuable information for health care providers that might otherwise only be available from a liver biopsy.
FibroScan® can help with the management of:
FibroScan® non-invasively measures the stiffness of your liver by capturing and calculating the speed of a shear wave as it travels through the liver. This detection of stiffness may be used as an aid in the clinical management of liver disease. During the scan, you will only feel a slight vibration on the skin at the tip of the probe.
You lie on your back, with your right arm raised behind your head. The operator applies a water-based gel to the skin and positions the probe adjacent to your liver. The operator then scans your liver to capture 10 meaningful measurements made at the same location. The result is delivered at the end of the examination as a number in “kilopascals” (kPa). Your doctor will interpret the result in conjunction with other information from your overall examination
Yes. The exam is painless and non-invasive. During measurement, you feel a slight vibration on the skin at the tip of the probe. It’s also easy and fast, usually taking 5 to 10 minutes.
FibroScan® provides immediate results to the operator. Your physician then interprets the result according to your history and underlying disease.
The liver is the largest solid organ in the body, about the size of a football, weighing three to four pounds. The liver serves as the body’s filter and warehouse, with more than 1.5 quarts of blood pumping through it every minute. This allows the liver to effectively remove toxins and waste products from the bloodstream. It also acts as a warehouse to hold onto substances like vitamins, minerals, and glucose that the body will need later. The liver helps to manage cholesterol, hormones, and sugar. It also regulates fat storage and blood clotting factors.
A FibroScan® can help you and your health care provider understand your liver status and, when needed, create a care plan to support this vital organ.
If the liver sustains damage from any cause, normal liver tissue can become:
Symptoms of liver damage can include fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, fever, itchy skin, abdominal pain, jaundice (yellowing of the eyes and skin), dark urine and pale stools.