Does £400 sound a lot for a Fibroscan
Mr tillysid: Does £400 sound a lot for a... - British Liver Trust
Mr tillysid
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TillySyd
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Mine cost me £200 about 3 years ago.
Mine was €200 four months ago and Ireland is usually about the same for prices as Uk.
What is the state of play with your liver bloods just now? Having a fibroscan whilst there is any serious ongoing inflammation (elevated blood markers) could through up a false fibroscan result. Fibroscan notoriously can't differentiate between inflamed liver tissue and actual fibrous tissue so you could be potentially spending lots of money only to get a false (usually falsely high) result.
Also, what do you intend to do with any result as you still need treatment to follow it up if it does prove to be liver damage.
I am a bit puzzled by your story, I surmise that you've had liver disease symptoms for some time and haven't (you feel) had them properly investigated by your GP despite numerous visits to the point they are now talking about striking you off. You say you have a gall bladder full of stones - have you been referred to gastroenterology about that because issues with your gall bladder/gall stones will affect the biliary system and potentially lead to itching and other liver type symptoms.
Have you now been told you definitely have liver damage? If so you should be referred to a hospital consultant - Gastroenterologist/Hepatologist and they will carry out necessary tests and follow up.
Katie
You have referred this man for investigation of his liver following a recent ultrasound that reported
gallstones and features that suggest intrinsic liver disease in the form of fibrosis. His recent normal
blood tests are reassuring. No focal lesion was reported on the scan. A CT scan in 2020 reported a
normal liver. I recommend that the most appropriate tests would be a Fibroscan to assess to what
degree the liver has developed scarring. The electronic patient record at Poole does not easily view
all the blood tests that have been performed. Could I ask that a full non-invasive blood test screen for
liver disease has been requested and that we are informed of the results when available. I will look
out for the Fibroscan result and advise.
I paid £90 for mine in London
sounds like a Rip off🙈
Quick website search without looking deeper is £250 to £360 for UK including consultation.
London Bridge Hospital does it for around £200.
About right if it includes a consultation to explain the result but you can get cheaper without a consultation.
At the Royal Free a full liver work up Inc all scans, bloods, general medical, consultation x 2 with professor is around £1000 and all done in a day.
That would determine 100% if you have liver disease and is by far the better choice.
I paid £260 for a dual fibroscan and consultation last month (a follow up appointment in 6 months)
I assume these are for private fibro scans, is that correct? If so, then why go private?
Because I can not trust my GP to deal with it.
Unfortunately your GP is not obliged to accept or act on any results or diagnoses obtained privately, so if your private post-scan report suggests any follow-up in the form of further assessment or treatment this would most likely have to be continued with privately.However, if you had waited another couple of weeks for the NHS scan, your GP would have to take any action necessary due to the results. You would still see the results and any recommendations for yourself, and be able to get them carried out.As others have said, fibroscans are not always the most accurate, and are not definitive. You also seem to have other symptoms that are probably not liver-related,bso they would best be addressed separately. You mention the desire of your GPs to take you off their list. They will have to give a reason for this, which you can take up with PALS or the local CQC if you consider this unfounded or unjust.
I do hope you find some sort of resolution on every front soon, as it must all be very troubling for you.
I do not want my GPs involved in the Fibroscan and I have been told to advise the consultant of this. What would you consder to be a better alternative to a Fibroscan
i asked my consultant for a scan and i didnt pay .whats it got to do with your gpif you have a liver /gastro consultant .simply chang e doctors
Livers are fickle things. They can repair themselves when professionals believe this is not possible, their function can reduce quickly and improve quickly. In order to get a really good idea of what is going on, a gastroenterologist or hepatologist will use a number of diagnostic tools to try and get a broad picture.
Fibroscan is just one of these tools. It's not foolproof and notoriously it can't tell the difference between cirrhotic tissue and inflammation. It also doesn't work very well if you are particularly overweight or if your live naturally sits deeper in your abdomen (this occurs in some people).
To have his liver cirrhosis diagnosed, my husband had several rounds of blood tests, an ultrasound, an MRI, a CT scan, a fibroscan, an echocardiogram, a gastroscopy, and some physical examinations of his abdomen. The fibroscan had an extremely high reading which was initially, in isolation, interpreted as cirrhosis to the point of requiring a transplant. However when reviewed alongside all the other tests he had was actually inflammation in his liver caused by iron overload due to a genetic condition.
If your fibroscan reading is outside of the "normal" range, you will need further tests. Do you have the funds to pay privately for these too? You have said here and elsewhere you are in disagreement with your GP about whether or not you have liver disease. I think you need to prepare yourself for how you will respond and feel if you don't get the result you want from the fibroscan.
I hope all goes well for you. Do keep us updated.
Personally, I listen to my doctors. It’s my body so want to know what’s going on with my liver so ask lots of questions when I have my appointments. They ask me lots of questions about how I’m feeling too. I have sometimes wondered if my diagnosis is correct (I have cirrhosis) as I feel so well. My bloods are normal and the two small varices I originally had are gone. My consultant has always explained how that can be….which is that I’ve stopped damaging my liver because I’ve stopped drinking. This in turn has allowed my liver to heal a little (but not entirely because the scarring is there to stay). He pays a lot of attention to my ultrasound results each time - which show my liver remains damaged but is stable. We’ve talked about a fibroscan but he doesn’t see any need to have further tests which will only confirm what we already know. I agree. I certainly wouldn’t be paying for one - I’d rather book a nice hotel for the weekend…it will do me more good. I don’t blindly accept the clinical advice, I ask questions so that I understand it. I do take the view though that my consultant knows more than me. He’s spent years training and even more years practicing…I’m not sure what having a scan in isolation from the rest of my care would achieve. I’d have a set of numbers that I wouldn’t really understand and even if explained to me wouldn’t be in the context of my overall health. For me it would seem pointless.
BritishLiverTrust8ModeratorBritish Liver Trust
Dear TillySyd
If you would find it useful to talk things over, our nurse-led helpline is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 3pm on 0800 652 7330 (excluding bank holidays)
Best wishes
British Liver Trust
Sounds like way over the top, I paid for an US £180. £400 for Fibro scan. Keep looking
