Diagnose Liver Disease via Fibro Scan

Fibro scan is an ultrasound technology device for a liver scan with the minimal procedure. This technology now becomes one of the well-known machines in the medical field that is able to detect liver symptoms such as fibrosis or fatty level in the liver.

Fibro Scan is?
It is the medical technology made for the liver. A fibro scan is made for detecting abnormalities or indicating the condition of the liver through the ultrasound wave. The wave is transient elastography, it will use the wave to reflect the liver status whether it is healthy or not, whether it damaged or has any diseases there.

When Will Fibro Scan Necessary?
The liver is an internal organ which cannot be examined only from the outside. The scanning by transient elastography of fibro scan will help to detect the condition of the liver and indicate liver diseases that occur there.

• Viral infection : this disease occurs when the liver is infected by the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) or Hepatitis C virus (HCV). The inflammation caused by these viruses will increase the possibility of developing into liver failure or cirrhosis.

• Hemochromatosis : it is the initiation of the fatal complication. The excessive amount of iron absorption will be stored in the liver and other organs and lead to liver damage.

• Alcoholic liver disease : too much alcohol drinking will cause this liver disease. The inflammation can injure the liver to cirrhosis or liver failure.

• Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) : It occurs when the liver stores up too much amount of fat that could be turned into liver damage.

• Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) : It is similar to NAFLD but more lethal. It can be caused cirrhosis, liver damage and liver failure.

Symptoms of Liver Disease
To examine whether you should have a fibro scan or not, these are the symptoms which hint that the liver is abnormal.

• The changing of skin and eye colour to yellow can be considered jaundice, it implies that there is a problem with the liver.
• The swelling up of the abdomen and ache all over the area. Ankle, legs and arms might swell and be in pain too.
• Nauseous and exhausted chronically.

How to Prepare For Fibro Scan
Fibro scan uses only a few minutes to proceed. As it is the scanning for the liver, there are some steps for the patient to prepare themself before the scanning appointment.

• First, the patient must avoid drinking alcohol for two weeks before the fibro scan. Alcohol may affect the liver and turn in false or invalid fibro scan results.
• Second, It is a must to avoid eating anything before the procedure for 3 hours. This prohibition includes drinking water, only sipping is allowed. A large amount of fluid will make the fibro scan result inaccurate.

There is no need to worry about removing accessories or clothes, the patient only has to expose the right side of the belly. Wearing a shirt that can easily to unbutton or lifted up is a suggestion.

Process of Fibro Scan


Fibro scan is quite a rapid method with accurate results. It only uses the tool to place the skin of a patient around the right side, and the result will be projected on the screen. These are the sequences of the procedure.

1. The patient needs to lie down and they will be coated with water gel on the right side of the stomach.
2. The probe will place on the stomach, in the position of the liver. Then, the ultrasound wave will take a part to display the condition of the liver by the wave reflection.
3. Fibro scan will take around 5 minutes to finish the process, the result will show 2 score types that are able to tell the condition of the liver. The CAP score for the fat level and fibrosis score for the damage of the liver.

Fibro Scan Result
After examining the liver with a Fibro scan, the machine will indicate results in 2 different types of scores.

• CAP Score (Controlled Attenuation Parameter): This score shows the result of the fat quantity in the liver. The unit of CAP will be measured in decibels/meter (dB/m) and can be divided into steatosis grades which will be s1-s3. If the result of CAP has a lower rate than 5%, it means your liver is in a good condition. However, if the result of CAP is over 66%, it means that your liver is in serious condition and has a risk of getting liver disease.
• Fibro Score: This score is the result of scarring in the liver. The unit of Fibro score will be measured in kilopascals (kPa). For the result, a low number or not over 6 kPa indicates that the liver is barely damaged. There are also 5 stages of fibrosis from F0 to F4 in which F0-F1 display a healthy liver and F4 displays a damaged liver or cirrhosis.

Is Fibro Scan an Ultrasound?
Fibro scan using ultrasound wave called elastography to measure the condition of the liver. It will reflect the current state of the liver to be examined the stiffness that may cause fibrosis or other diseases in the future.

Is a Fibro Scan Painful?


Fibro scan is not the method that needs to do surgery or direct piercing as the traditional ways. It only places the probe, which sends ultrasound waves, to investigate or detect any abnormalities in the liver. The patient will only sense the vibration on their skin.

Fibro Scan Conclusion


Fibro scan takes an important role for examine the liver. With ultrasound technology, this rapid and efficient method becomes convenient and provide the precise result to the patient. Fibro scan can detect the abnormalities where they gradually occur in the liver, leading to in-time treatment before it gets worse.