News

Quicker diagnosis for overweight patients with liver damage - 09 February 2010

Overweight patients with liver damage are being diagnosed more speedily by a new ultrasound probe at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington.

Liver probe pic(Pictured left: Heather Marcinowski performing an ultrasound with the new probe)

The probe (XL Fibroscan), one of only three in the country, uses sound waves to determine the degree of fibrosis or damage to the liver, and can be used instead of a biopsy (where tissue is removed for examination).

Hepatologist Dr Quentin Anstee said: "With the new Fibroscan probe we have a safe and completely non-invasive way of looking at how scarred or 'stiff' the liver is".

"Usually patients would need to have a biopsy and spend a day in hospital but the probe is a quicker and more comfortable alternative, and means we can see more patients in clinic." 

Patients with cirrhosis need to be diagnosed because they are at risk of developing liver cancer and other complications like internal bleeding. The ultrasound procedure is painless, takes about ten minutes to perform and can be repeated multiple times without any risk to the patient. 

Dr Anstee continued: "Obesity is increasingly one of the most common causes of liver disease, alongside viral hepatitis and alcohol. 

"The probe is an effective tool for diagnosing liver fibrosis in overweight or obese patients on whom it was not previously possible to accurately perform non-invasive tests for liver damage." 

The probe works by generating a mechanical pulse when it touches the surface of the patient's skin. The pulse is transmitted through the liver and the probe measures the velocity of the wave (or the speed the wave travels in one direction). This determines how 'stiff' the liver is - the stiffer the liver, the greater the degree of fibrosis or damage.

The equipment cost 20,000 GBP and was donated by the hospital charity Friends of St Mary's.

Approximately 20 percent of the UK population has fat in their liver and 5 to 10 percent progress to liver disease. Liver disease is the fifth most common cause of death in the UK and, unlike the other four, the prevalence of liver disease is increasing. 

Notes to editors

  • Photos available on request
  • The scanner and the XL probe are made by Fibroscan
  • The scanner can monitor how each patient's liver disease progresses or regresses, and can give doctors an accurate measure of how successful treatments and lifestyle changes are. It can assess liver damage resulting from a range conditions, such as metabolic syndrome, fatty liver disease, chronic viral hepatitis and excess alcohol intake
  • The equipment is being used in clinic at St Mary's with patients who have fatty liver disease. The clinic provides weight loss advice, optimises patients' treatment with the best combination of medication and gives them the opportunity to take part in clinical trials of new medicines to prevent the progression of fatty liver disease
  • Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust comprises Charing Cross, Hammersmith, Queen Charlotte's & Chelsea, St Mary's and Western Eye hospitals and in partnership with Imperial College London, it is the UK's first academic health science centre (AHSC) 
  • The AHSC was created to take the research discoveries it makes and translate them into new and improved treatments and techniques to directly benefit patients throughout the Trust.

ENDS

For press enquiries contact:
Caroline Weller, communications manager
Telephone: 020 3312 1331
Email: caroline.weller@imperial.nhs.uk

For patient enquiries contact:
Patient advice and liaison service (PALS)
Telephone: 020 3312 7777