Fibroscan results

[Splodge60]

Does anyone know what a figure of 29.2 on a Fibroscan average,means?

[AyrshireK]

It would entirely depend on what your bloods are revealing just now. If you have a high level of inflammation it can give a false high reading on Fibroscan (even top liver doctors are questioning it's validity and accuracy where liver inflammation is ongoing). If bloods are near normal without inflammation markers being raised then 29.2 kPa is in the region of cirrhosis.

You need to discuss this with your doctor and arrange for follow up tests - an imaging scan would be best now to actually look at the liver.

All the best, Katie

[Splodge60 in reply to AyrshireK]

Thanks Katie

Had NASH for 16 years plus diabetes, erratic blood pressure, and pulse rate. Have been bleeding from mouth everyday for 18 months. Found out I had Cirrhosis on 13th Feb via Patient Access to my medical notes, after Fibroscan on 28th Jan.Had persistently deranged LFTs all these years. Waited 14 months for this test !!! Saw the score on Fibroscan machine myself. It is now 18 Mar and cannot get GP or Consultant to speak to me about what this all means!!!

I’m having now to officially complain and hope this week brings some chance to just speak to them. I wrote to Consultant on 14th Feb with 12 questions. No reply. Rang GP Practice Manager and no response. Am I right to be cross?

[JackiePA in reply to Splodge60]

Hi if you have not had a response you could ring the PALS department at the hospital and they will contact the consultant and you will get a speedy response. If you ring the hospital, they will put you through to the PALS department.

[Splodge60 in reply to AyrshireK]

Hi ,my LFTs have been consistently high on all measures by 3/4 times normal, for 16 years since the NASH diagnosis. I’ve have Type 2 diabetes all that time and now on 4x insulin injections per day. I am fully aware that these 3 disorders, (NASH, Diabetes and Cirrhosis) are significant prognostic indicators for early death. I just want to know how early - with an average Fibroscan result of 29.2.

[AyrshireK in reply to Splodge60]

No one can say how long a person might live - even a doctor couldn't give you a definite prognosis based on Fibroscan or even blood tests and it is a "How long is a piece of string?" type question.

Having a diagnosis of cirrhosis doctors should be able to calculate your UKELD (United Kingdom Model for End Stage Liver Disease) which can give an indication of % mortality rate and is used in transplant listing criteria. It is a calculation based on your INR (blood clotting time), Serum Creatine, Serum Sodium & Serum Bilirubin.

We have never, ever been told hubbies 'scores on the doors' and really it's not worth bothering about - get on with life and live it the best you can. You could get hit by a bus tomorrow and it might not be your liver condition that does for you in the end.

29.2 just confirms cirrhosis and actually might still be a false high taking into account you have ongoing inflammation. Fibroscan reads up to 75 kPa so based on that you are pretty low down on the cirrhosis scale.

Do you have symptoms associated with cirrhosis? Generally cirrhosis can be lived with. If you are compensated it can be for years & years. Hubbies consultant has patients with a diagnosis of cirrhosis for 20+ years and are no where near transplant needy. It's when/if you become decompensated and the liver starts to really struggle that difficulties set in that can potentially be life threatening.

Live life to the max.

Katie x

[Splodge60 in reply to AyrshireK]

Thank you for your replies. My diagnosis of cirrhosis was finally given to me in April this year after waiting 3 months to get the 'official' results. My symptoms are a result of what the Consultant said is Metabolic Syndrome and Cirrhosis, but, he was "of the opinion" that it was 'compensated'. Time is passing by once more and I am waiting on him again but, this time I am truly 'not bothered anymore'. I have been through so much trauma, just in trying to get a 'diagnosis' for my symptoms that, when I went into Fibrosis and then Cirrhosis, neither the Consultant nor GP have any idea when either of these events happened.

I know this sounds crazy but it's not - I was just so relieved that I had a diagnosis at last. I get the impression that, from my original biopsy (in 2003 when diagnosed with NASH), to today (2019), I have had a ticking time-bomb inside of me which the medics have not had sufficient experience or information on to give me any kind of suitable treatment or care. In recent weeks, The British Liver Trust and other published articles, have suggested that the link between NASH, Diabetes, High Triglycerides, etc., etc., which have led to the Metabolic Syndrome, is far more significant today than ever appreciated before.

I was only followed up by the Gastroenterologist for 5 years after original diagnosis of NASH and then discharged, even though my LFT's were still high, it was concluded that, because they had not changed much over the years and were, therefore, 'stable' to use their term, then I did no longer need follow-up. History, in my case has proved them manifestly incorrect in this assumption. Now, there is known to be a definite link between all these different factors, which has resulted in me having this diagnosis of Cirrhosis. Fortunately, there is no current evidence of HCC (Liver Cancer), for which I am grateful. It is also known now that a diagnosis of NASH (which is the more ADVANCED and SERIOUS version of Fatty Liver), is very often a prelude to the diagnosis of Cirrhosis and ESPECIALLY SO, if accompanied by Type 2 Diabetes, which I also have.

It seems obvious to me then, that the MAIN question is, knowing now, that this significant link can be life-changing/threatening for some, researchers need to be considering (when monitoring and follow-up is going on), to see, how long (from the commencement of NASH, if that is even known), does it take for Fibrosis to occur and then Cirrhosis and then HCC. My story has thus far spanned 17 known years of liver dysfunction. How about before that. I was always a skinny child, a skinny young adult, but after giving birth twice, (accompanied by an unhappy marriage and nervous breakdown), the weight piled on till my BMI was circling 30/31. Now my weight is lower, down to a BMI of 26.5, but symptoms of cirrhosis (like putting on weight due to ascites) serious muscle mass problems, as well as other stuff, (too much to mention). plus higher than normal levels of ammonia in my blood (encephalopathy), all these are seriously impacting my life and, I firmly believe that the Consultant (who gave me a prognosis of another 10 good years) has based his belief around ill-founded and irrational thinking, given the slow progress being made in research in this area and the weaknesses of monitoring and assessment, so very pronounced with liver disease and in regard to myself. I will not be allowed to have a liver transplant, he has stated. I am a 69 year old female with lots of other health issues and therefore too much of a risk. Risk to whom? Him, me, or the person who gave up their life, for the benefit of souls such as myself????? The Consultant has already informed me that it will not be possible for me. So what do I do?

Someone on here said - get on with your life and make the best of it. Well, that is what I am trying to do, given my poor quality of life due to many concomitant health issues. I cannot predict 'the end' and I am also not wishing to pre-empt it either. I have too much to do, one thing of which, will be to share my 'story' for the benefit of others because it is cruel to put people through some of the things I have been through. My only wish now is to use my time as wisely as possible, sharing my knowledge, understanding and wisdom learned from this horrid experience, to help others, so that they do not have to go through what I have been through, at all.

[Hidden]

As stated inflammation can skew fibroscan results. Id strongly suggest an ELF test. Its done by blood draw and is far less influenced by things like inflammation.

[moonbeam4]

Hi, Katie has covered it all just about but if you " saw " only one reading a fibroscan result is taken from an average of four or five pings. My pings ranged from 75 to 40 to the other pings in the 20,s kpa, these results were then averaged out to give a final result. However, as katie rightly points out inflammation can also give a false reading as it did in my case. best wishes. x

[LaurieRose]

Over 7kps a biopsy is usually required if enzymes are raised too.