Fibroscan

Patient information

When you come for a fibroscan, you will see a nurse, who will scan your liver. The nurse will explain the results of your scan and tell you what will happen next. This service is available for people over the age of 18 who may have liver damage or liver disease.

Why do I need a fibroscan?

Your doctor referred you for a fibroscan because they believe you may be at risk for liver disease. It is possible to have liver disease or liver damage without noticing any symptoms. Finding and treating liver damage (fibrosis) early can help prevent any permanent damage to your liver (cirrhosis).

A fibroscan can help us diagnose liver damage in people who have:

• Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: With non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), excessive amounts of fat are stored in liver cells, which puts you at risk for developing liver damage.
• Alcoholic liver disease: Also known as alcoholic hepatitis, this is liver damage caused by drinking more alcohol than your liver can process, creating inflammation that can cause serious scarring (cirrhosis), which can lead to liver failure.
• Viral infection: When the liver becomes infected with the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) or the Hepatitis C virus (HCV), it causes liver inflammation and puts you at an increased risk of developing cirrhosis or liver cancer, or of suffering from liver failure.
• Other liver diseases.
  
  
  

How do I prepare for the scan?

FibroScan preparation is simple and straightforward. On the day of your procedure, do not eat or drink anything 4 hours before your test. You should continue to take any prescribed medication as normal.

You should wear comfortable clothes (e.g. shirt, loose dress) that can be moved/repositioned to allow the nurse to examine your right upper abdomen. Please do not wear any tight clothing to your appointment.

What does the scan involve?

1. You will lie on your back with your right hand raised behind your head.
2. A nurse will pass an ultrasound probe over the surface of your skin on the right side of your lower chest and tummy (abdomen).
3. The ultrasound probe will generate a mechanical pulse on the skin's surface and transmit an elastic wave through the liver.
4. The speed of this wave is measured by ultrasound and tells us how stiff or flexible the liver tissue is. Stiff liver tissue can indicate scarring or fibrosis of the liver.
5. The scan will take about 10 to 20 minutes to complete.
6. The nurse will discuss the results of the scan with you.
7. The results of the scan will be sent to the doctor who requested the test.
   
   

What are the benefits of this scan?

A fibroscan will help your doctor to understand how much scarring is in your liver and it will also estimate the fat content within your liver. This will help them to plan your treatment.

It is a quick and painless test. It does not have any potential complications or risks and it is non-invasive, which means that it does not break the skin or enter your body.

Are there any limitations to the scan?

Sometimes there is a possibility that we are not able to get an accurate result due to your body physique. A fibroscan can only measure liver fibrosis and fat content within the liver and may not help to find all causes of your liver damage.

After your fibroscan, you may need to have blood tests or a liver biopsy to give your care team a more detailed understanding of your liver health.