How accurate is elastography for showing fibrosis ?

[orphanedhawk]

Someone told me their biopsy from a year ago showed stage 3 fibrosis but now an elastography showed stage 1.
Elastography isn't something I have any experience with.
How would it compare to a biopsy in accuracy ?

[orphanedhawk]

Thanks for your informative replies.

[Bali05]

I had a total of 6 FibroScans and I would have loved to do the MRE @ Mayo. As a result you get like a "weather map" of different stiffness levels
of the entire organ which is really cool.
With a previous bx result of stage 3 one would assume the MRE showing
at least some areas being higher than stage 1 unless the pathologists
who read the bx slides made an error.
My hepatologist for example prefers biopsies but demands that the
slides are being intepreted only by pathologists he works with.

[orphanedhawk]

This person said they had an elastrography at the Mayo clinic.
It doesn't really matter, I just became curious.
Thanks~ to you too Will.

[Bali05]

There is transient elastrography which is Fibroscan and there is MRE
magnetic resonance elastrography which is only done @ Mayo Clinic
as far as I know.
When talking generally about hepatic elastography I would assume
it to be FibroScan since it is more and especially internationally available.

[willbb]

So, is elastography the same thing as fibroscan
----------------------------------

Hi OH

yes Transient Elastography  is Fibroscan.. they are used quite extensively in Europe and are relatively prevalent in the large liver centers here in Can.

it measure liver stiffness in Kpa  and as Bali has mentioned is prone to some degree of rror  (including operator experince)

They  seem to be more accurate in dx later stage and cirrhosis.

Just as a side note, I have had three in corelation to my three bx. and they were quite accurate in comparison to said bx.

Hope that helps some

Will

[orphanedhawk]

Thanks.
So, is elastography the same thing as fibroscan ?
Fibroscan I'm familiar with , though not personally.

BTW: I'm suspicious of the 'someone.s' story.

[Bali05]

Neither one is perfect. You can not compare them as "apples to apples " in my my view. since they are very different modalities. Each has its own quality and the results should be interpreted together.
In case of that "someone" you mention it appears that he or she has parts
of the liver at stage 3 and other parts more of an overall stage 1.
BTW, Fibroscan can be of by a stage or two and is only really helpful in
excluding cirrhosis. The in-between stages are difficult.
Liver fibrosis is not a homogeneous process.


b