What is a Fibro Scan ?
Fibro Scan is test in which a specialised form of an ultrasound machine is used for assessment of liver in a non-invasive manner. It is used by the doctor to assess your liver status and stage of the disease if present. It basically assesses amount of the fat that is deposited in your liver and the degree of stiffness in your liver which are the measures of the liver disease status. It is a simple, quick, painless procedure which is an attractive non- surgical alternative to the traditional liver biopsy technique.
What the diseases that can be identified or diagnosed by Fibro Scan?
It is used to diagnose various diseases affecting the liver like Non-Alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), Non-Alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), Alcoholic liver disease, various forms of chronic liver diseases secondary to the various causes like Hepatitis B virus, Hepatitis C virus etc..
If I am healthy without any disease; Do I still need to undergo Fibro Scan ?
Fibro Scan is not only used to diagnose various diseases and stage them but also helps up picking up the diseases at an early stage. Hence it can be used as an effective screening tool to identify those disorders.
According to various scientific publications the incidence of NAFLD and NASH is around 30% in various Asian countries including India. Which means that amongst every 10 individuals who appear and think they are healthy three of them would be diagnosed with these diseases. Many factors contribute to this increasing incidence of the NAFLD among Indian population like westernisation of our culture, increasing incidence of obesity and diabetes mellitus and various other factors have resulted in this dramatic increase of its incidence.
How is the procedure of Fibro Scan done?
It is typically done in an elective setting on an outpatient basis . Fibro Scan requires no sedation or anaesthesia of any kind. The procedure is performed when you will lie on your back in a comfortable position with your right arm raised behind your head, and your abdominal area exposed (wear loose fitting clothes if possible). Your doctor will apply a gel to your skin, then will place a non-invasive probe over your abdomen in the liver area. During the scan, you may feel a slight vibration on the skin at the tip of the probe which is very normal.
Entire procedure will be briefed to you by the nursing personnel who will be accompanying and assisting you during the entire procedure. The procedure is typically painless and lasts less than 5 minutes. Once the procedure is completed you will not have any sort of discomfort or pain and will be able to resume your daily routine after consultation with your doctor.
How to interpret my Fibro Scan result ?
Fibro Scan measures the extent of scarring in your liver which signifies the damage to your liver by measuring the stiffness of your liver. The fibrosis result is measured in kilopascals (kPa) It’s normally between 2 and 7 kPa for around majority of healthy individuals. The more the value in kPa the more the stiffness in the liver the more is the severity of disease.
What next if I am diagnosed with fatty liver on Fibro Scan ??
Depending of the stage and severity of liver fibrosis and fat deposition various treatment modalities are available. These will be discussed and executed after reviewing your medical history, various lab parameters and other tests in a systematic manner with international guidelines.
Why should you get your liver fibro scan done at the Harini Hospital? Myth Fact It is painful It is absolutely painless It is dangerous as it contains radiation It is safe and is not associated with any form of radiation We need to admit in hospital to get it done It can be done on the outpatient basis without admission It needs to be repeated frequently Most people doesn’t it to be repeated again If I am healthy, I don’t need a liver fibro scan No, even healthy individuals need Fibro Scan as a part of screening procedure at the discretion of your doctor It is not of any use It is used for diagnosing and treating many diseases at an early stage so that early treatment can be initiated
Harini hospitals is the first place in NavyAndhra to bring this fibro scan facility available for our people via Fibro Touch ( FT 100 model). It is one of its kind utilising most superior technology to measure Liver stiffness via measuring Transient Elastography based on controlled low frequency shear wave and Ultrasound Attenuation Parameter (UAP). This enables us to pick up several liver diseases at an early stages and offer better treatment modalities.
Myths and Facts about Fibro Scan