FibroScan®: A noninvasive way to detect and monitor liver disease
At Triborough GI, we have many technologies and capabilities that provide vital insights into the health of the liver. One of our seven board-certified gastroenterologists in Brooklyn, Bushwick, the Bronx, or Staten Island, New York, may recommend FibroScan® as a way to measure the presence or extent of scarring to the liver, which aids in assessing this organ’s health and the presence or “staging” of conditions like cirrhosis.
An introduction to FibroScan®
This service is otherwise known as liver elastography. This noninvasive procedure involves measuring the scarring (or fibrosis), stiffness/hardness, and fat-related changes to your liver (or steatosis). A small handheld probe is applied to the skin in the area of the liver. It painlessly and safely uses ultrasound or sound waves to measure the indicators of liver health mentioned above.
Measurements and results
A CAP score assesses the percentage of fatty change in your liver. Generally, the higher the score, the greater the build-up of fat. “Normal” livers may have up to a 5% change, whereas cap scores that measure the level of steatosis or fat in the liver can range from 11% to 33% (for S1 or Grade 1 steatosis) to more than 67% (for Grade 3 steatosis).
Liver fibrosis is measured in kilopascals. Here again, the higher the number (or kPa), the more advanced the stiffness or hardness of the liver associated with scarring. For “normal” livers, the kPa may range from two to seven. This means the liver doesn’t have scarring, or this damage is very mild. Moderate to severe scarring is largely higher than seven kPa, and ranges can differ slightly based on the underlying liver diagnosis. At this stage, the scarring is such that we can intervene to help reverse the damage and treat the disease. In fact, healthy lifestyle changes can slow down or reverse the build-up of scarring. With advanced or late-stage scarring or fibrosis, known as cirrhosis, kPas are generally higher than 14 to 19, depending on the diagnosed disease. Cirrhosis is indicative of chronic or long-term liver disease.
Schedule your consultation today!
Our patients at Triborough GI appreciate that we can get so many insights without using needles, scalpels, or invasive procedures and surgery. Additionally, this well-tolerated process helps to monitor the progression of liver disease and damage quickly and easily, which can inform interventions. It also allows us to see how well interventions and treatments are working. We encourage you to contact our Brooklyn, NY office at (718) 332-0600 to learn about FibroScan®. For your convenience, we also have three other offices throughout the area – in the Bronx, Bushwick, and Staten Island. Call us at (718) 987-1700 for Staten Island, (718) 292-3822 for the Bronx, and (718) 821-0643 for Bushwick.
