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Liver fibrosis

Non-invasive evaluation of hepatic fibrosis: don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched

M Pinzani

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Professor M Pinzani
Dipartimento di Medicina Interna, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Viale G B Morgagni, 85, 50134 Firenze, Italy; m.pinzani@dmi.unifi.it

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There is an increasing desire for non-invasive tests to assess both the stage of liver fibrosis and the rate of progression of fibrogenic chronic liver diseases and so reduce the need for repeated liver biopsies. However, higher quality non-invasive diagnostic procedures are still needed

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Keywords: human immunodeficiency virus; hepatitis C virus; coinfection; liver biopsy; liver fibrosis; predictive models

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Cost pressures and recognition of the limitations of liver biopsy have led to an increasing desire for non-invasive tests to assess both the stage of liver fibrosis and, more importantly, the rate of progression of fibrogenic chronic liver diseases (CLD). In addition, the increase in knowledge of the mechanisms regulating the fibrogenic process in CLD and the consequent knowledge of its dynamic features (that is, scarring as the net result of extracellular matrix deposition and degradation) have led to the need for diagnostic tools with higher prognostic value and flexibility for longitudinal follow up.

There are two main groups of non-invasive methodologies for the evaluation of hepatic fibrosis and its progression. The first group, defined "serum markers", is aimed at predicting fibrosis stage and, possibly, other prognostic information, using parameters measurable in serum. The second group includes methodologies derived from elaboration of parameters obtainable with the current liver . . . [Full text of this article]

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Non-invasive evaluation of hepatic fibrosis using magnetic resonance and ultrasound techniques

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