Had a Fibroscan 5 months ago which read 33. My BMI was 35 and I was a heavy drinker. I also have hemochromatosis which means there is to much iron in my liver making it inflamed.
I’ve had 2 x MRIs, 2 x Ultrasound , CT scan and endoscopy which all indicated no liver damage .
The Fibroscan reading indicates cirrhosis, the others do not.
Thoughts??
What were your bloods doing at the time? Were your ALT, AST levels very elevated - i.e. is your liver very inflamed? Fibroscan can not differentiate between liver damage (fibrous tissue) and liver inflammation so if your liver numbers are way high then fibroscan is probably giving you a false high reading i.e. the inflammation is elevating the fibroscan result. In light of all your other scans showing no liver damage then it seems that would explain the fibroscan.
In light of you having haemochromatosis I hope you have now ceased the heavy alcohol intake as your liver is evidently struggling and whilst perhaps not yet damaged it might only be a matter of time. Hopefully you are having your haemochromatosis treated and doctors are going to keep an eye on you. If you've not already seen it you might find the BLT page on haemochromatosis useful.
britishlivertrust.org.uk/in...
All the best, Katie
Thank you so much for your reply. My only liver reading which is abnormal is ALT. For the last several years it’s been around 100, it reached 152 around the time I had the Fibroscan. I completely stopped alcohol several months ago. My latest ALT this week has reduced by 50% its 76.
I’m having weekly Vennesections.
My ferritin was 19,000 now it’s 6000
The scans you've had look at things like liver size & shape & a cirrhotic liver can look normal in size & shape. A biopsy looks at an actual liver tissue sample under a microscope which is why it's still considered the gold standard method of determining the true state of a liver. The FibroScan score is likely to be inflated due to inflammation and unreliable however a score of 33 is pretty high. If your liver isn't cirrhotic it's likely to be fibrotic. Has your specialist suggested a biopsy? That's what I'd be wanting to settle the matter so you can then receive proper treatment.
Thank you for your reply. I’m seeing consultant hopefully within a month and will ask for another Fibroscan and/or biopsy
Hi
My fibroscan showed that I had compensated cirrhosis , I had an ultrasound and the lady said it's cirrhotic but when I got my report it said liver was fine. I phoned liver nurse and she said the ultrasound will only show vtge surface, it's like a cake, this could look great on the outside but rotten in the middle, she said vthsys how my liver is!!! Take care Lynne
Good afternoon Marcwinchester,
I would agree that it will be a good idea to discuss this further with your Hepatologist for clarification.
Best wishes,
Trust9
Good morning. Well that’s an interesting one. I was diagnosed with Cirrhosis 3 years ago following a hospital admission where I nearly died. I had been a heavy drinker for 4 years following a life trauma which led to daily drinking around the clock toward the end of that period. When in hospital I had all related symptoms of acites, deranged LFT’s, jaundice, enlarged liver, encephalopathy, vomiting blood and a few more. At that time I was told I had decompensated liver disease. I was in hospital and had detox which I was unaware of as was unconscious for 3 of those weeks. I lost 3 stone in that time as well. Following discharge I continued abstinence and had a fibroscan 3 months later which showed a reading of 47. My blood screen however returned to that of a normal person though MRI and ultrasound scan shows a ‘course liver’.
To this day I am going to request a repeat fibroscan as I it would be interesting to see how it has improved at all as you wouldn’t know to look at me I had Cirrhosis.
You haven’t stated if you have stopped drinking ? If I were you I would be requesting another fibroscan ? It’s odd how you have abnormal bloods ? What are the other results like, ie your GGT etc? What does the specialist say about it ?
Be great to hear back 😀😀😀
Only my ALT was mildly high.
My platlets have been low for several years 49-88.
My liver was enlarged it in my case I believe it was the iron-so confusing!!
Yes I haven’t drunk alcohol for 8 months
Boy oh boy the Fibroscan is NOT accurate for people with higher BMIs.
I went through 5 years of unnecessary scans, blood work, specialist appointments. Diagnosed with cirrhosis and then after spitting the dummy and DEMANDING a biopsy finding out I have no fibrosis now (hep c cured)! Please get a second opinion!
My BMI 45%
Great news! Yes I do not have any symptoms of liver disease/ cirrhosis only this Fibroscan reading. My iron is coming down and I hope to be under 1000 by July so fingers crossed
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