Transient Elastography Might Replace Liver Biopsy in HCV Management

The diagnosis of advanced fibrosis in patients with liver disease is important in guiding both the initiation of screening for complications of cirrhosis and treatment decisions. Liver biopsy is still the current gold standard test for identifying advanced fibrosis; however, less-invasive tests have been described, including a serum test of aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index (APRI) and Fibroscan, which uses ultrasound transient elastography. The current study prospectively evaluated ideal cutoff values for these tests and discordance between them in predicting advanced fibrosis and cirrhosis in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.

The study cohort comprised 109 patients who underwent Fibroscan within 6 months of u…