Hello I had a Fibroscan on 30 April and just had a text message from my GP saying I will receive an appointment from Hepatology as the scan was not reliable. The results were as follows:-
Median 18.8 kPa
IQR 53%
CAP 228 dB/m
The Dr wrote -“ although the median was high, the readings were very variable and therefore these results should not be considered reliable……”
He said further investigations are needed.
Is this a common thing to happen and from the results as they are should I be concerned?
Thanks
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janey38
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hi Janey. I’m 42 yr old male in the US. April 30?? Seems quite a long time to get back to you. I just had a fibroscan last Thursday. My reading was 75kpa similar CAP I believe. I now need a mri of my liver spleen biliary tree ect and a trans jugular liver biopsy. Other than that I’m sorry I don’t have much to offer advice wise. I’m obviously pretty scared as 75 is the highest number one can score. So I definitely feel for you I haven’t heard back from my hepatology gi doctor. I can let you know what happens after my test if you like. Other than that be sure to advocate for yourself with any doctor definitely don’t be afraid to let them know you are having a hard time dealing with the waiting if that is indeed the case. I wish you well and all the best. Take care
Hi Prestige42 many thanks for your reply. I telephoned the Clinic appointment department and was told it could be up to a six month wait - I’m assuming this is just a standard response as I’m certainly not prepared to wait that long!! I will call the consultant secretary and see what they have to say.
Hi Prestige, I think you will find the 75 is a false reading, that's the maximum the fibro goes to, the same happened to me and others I have seen on this forum.Once the liver settles down from inflammation you will will get a better idea. On my second scan 6 months later it was 35.4
Taff thank you for sharing that with me. I truly appreciate it. I’m just freaking out because I’ve been a heavy liquor consumer for 20 years. And I’m finding this out now as I’m trying to qualify for surgery (need both hips replaced) I’ve just quit alcohol since April 16. My platelets are at 91, hemoglobin 13.4, INR 1.2, pro time 12 seconds, what is starting to get at me is my bilirubin was at 3 then 3.4 now up to 3.6 as of May 28. I’m definitely trying to stay positive and currently have no physical symptoms. So thank you for sharing that with me it means a lot. You take care.
No problem,I was a heavy drinker also. So stop drinking get plenty of exercise, I've not drank since 22nd March 2022 , was 1 week in hospital. Bloods all perfect now, play golf twice a week, try and eat well. That's the best that can be done i think.
yikes 6 months is far to long I realize the uk and us systems are of course different but 6 months seems unacceptable, to me anyway. I have to wait 6 weeks to see my gi/hepatologist…. I certainly am not saying this as all doctors should drop everything and respond immediately by any means it just doesn’t work like that but a lot can happen in 6 months. Also keep in mind your score falls in a category of f2 perhaps mind you I’m certainly nothing close to a medical professional but I’ve been asking dr google a lot since my score was 75. Believe me it’s easy to say a lot harder to do I spent all weekend flipping out,but take a breath the test could be off and you don’t know till you know… again I wish you all the best
Unfortunately whilst not acceptable - this is just the reality of the waiting list in UK. I was really angry about it too - just took so long to get any answers!
I waited 6 months in the end to finally see a consultant in the Heptology team (May was my referral and I saw him in November).
The wait was incredibly hard - I was depressed for a long time and became liver obsessed. Which isn’t good as Google is not your friend!
However I just tried to focus on making my liver happy until I knew the facts (no alcohol, eating well, exercise). By the time the 6mths came round, I’d lost 2 stone and felt more positive!
How did you get the fibroscan appt? Had you already had blood tests that showed elevated liver levels? Have you had an ultrasound? If you don’t think you’ve had the right blood tests or an ultrasound - your GP may request them? Or they may just refer you and let the hospital do the rest but always worth an ask!
Good luck - I know it’s a tough journey. And everything takes so long on the NHS! But my consultant didn’t rely on one test - I’ve had an endoscopy, fibroscan, two ultrasounds and a big lot of blood works (to determine any possible cause and monitor progression). Next stop will be a liver biopsy but in the last year, I’ve been pretty stable so he’s just going to see how it goes.
Sorry I don’t have any real good advice - just wanted to let you know you’re heard
Hi Jaxxy8 thanks for your reply. I had blood tests and an ultrasound before the Fibroscan - my Fib4 was elevated and evidently that’s why I was referred for the Fibroscan. Blood tests have also shown that I have a faulty gene Alpha-1 Antitrypsin this has two parts and I have one that is normal and one faulty.
I now think I need to go down the healthy route which I had started and then my dog died unexpectedly and it kind of threw everything out of the window - she was my reason to get up some mornings!! I went from exercising around five days a week plus dog walking to virtually nothing so I need to “pull my finger out”.
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Many thanks. I am waiting for an appointment with Hepatology so, unless it’s months away, I’ll hang on and speak to them but if it’s way ahead I will see (or try and see) my Dr.
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