Many individuals are surprised to learn that liver disease often produces no symptoms. In fact, it’s common for patients to first find out they have stage 4 liver disease at the time of diagnosis. Because liver diseases like cirrhosis are not curable, effective diagnosis tools are important. At Atlantic Gastroenterology in Brooklyn, NY, we offer FibroScan® which is a painless, non-invasive alternative to liver biopsy that can be used to diagnose liver disease.
One of the most common causes of liver disease is too much fat in the organ, otherwise known as steatosis. While a healthy liver contains some fat, anything above 5-6 percent is considered abnormal.
Over time, fatty liver disease can lead to a condition called steatohepatitis, where excess fat accumulation causes inflammation and scarring. As time progresses, liver undergoes fibrosis as scar tissue replaces healthy liver tissue.
Liver fibrosis reduces blood flow through the liver and the liver also loses normal function. Without treatment, liver fibrosis can lead to cirrhosis, liver failure, or liver cancer.
In most cases, fatty liver disease and fibrosis do not produce significant symptoms until they have reached end stages. Some symptoms of liver disease can include:
It’s a non-surgical way to measure fibrosis (stiffness) of the liver to diagnose and monitor liver disease over time. The procedure is like an ultrasound and is a quick, easy alternative to more invasive options such as a liver biopsy.
A healthy liver will be soft and elastic, whereas a stiff liver indicates that some damage has occurred. Liver scarring can be caused for several reasons including:
How it works:
A traditional needle biopsy is an invasive procedure that uses a needle to extract a sample of liver tissue. For many patients, a FibroScan® can be used in place of a liver biopsy.
Some of the biggest advantages of FibroScan® are:
At Atlantic Gastroenterology, we use FibroScan® to diagnose liver disease as well as monitor the condition over time for response to treatment and lifestyle modification. If you are in the Brooklyn, NY area and have been experiencing symptoms of liver disease or have risk factors for the disease that you’d like to discuss, please call us today at 718 521-2840.
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