Had a fibroscan today. Technician said I did not show a fatty liver or any cirrhosis. Getting a 2nd opinion on my liver biopsy. All bloodwork is within range except AMA and ANA. Put on Urso 2 months ago. So if it’s not PBC what else could it be? This has been going on since July and I want some resolution. Any thoughts? Ellyne
Fibroscan: Had a fibroscan today. Technician... - PBC Foundation
Fibroscan
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You may have some fibrosis in the bile duct. Your AMA...is it the M2?
Yes it is the AMA M2. I had a titer if 1:640. I had a liver biopsy and it did not show fibrosis in the bile ducts unless granumataous in the ducts means fibrosis. I did have that. The report said it was suggestive of PBS but that I was atypical clinically and histologically and to rule out mimics of PBC.
Sorry to post again but when will you know your fibroscan score?
You might be in the preclinical phase of PBC.
The four sequential clinical (symptoms and tests) phases of PBC are:
Preclinical
Asymptomatic
Symptomatic
Advanced
It is important to realize that the time required to evolve from one clinical phase to another varies substantially among individuals. Also, be aware that these clinical phases are different from the pathological stages determined by the liver biopsy. Most importantly, since the diagnosis is often first made between the ages of 30 and 60 years and progression of the disease is usually so slow, PBC does not result in a reduced life expectancy in all patients.
The sequential phases in the natural progression of PBC without therapy
Preclinical
Absence of symptoms
Normal liver tests
AMA positive
Poorly defined; estimated as 2 to 10 years
This is where it discusses the clinincal stages:
Hi..Just read your post. I pray your dx of PBC is not true, however; as stated before, you may be just getting started. It's a scary time to think, " oh wow!, this is like a death sentence".
I am terribly disturbed that some technician told you what they did or did not see. That is totally unethical...they are not doctors trained to read scans. Let your Hematologist determine the results along with the Doc that reads scans. They will give you a clear picture of the truth. In the mean time, try to chill...worry seems to elevated LF's.
My hepatologist told me to expect a brief summary from the technician with a follow up report from the dr. That is this hospital’s protocol. I am taking deep breaths and attempting to relax myself as much as possible. And you are right. I could just be getting started.....
I totally agree. When I had my fibroscan last September, several on here said the technician told them the results immediately. So a few days later I called my drs office. She said technicians do not have the authority nor are they allowed to give results. That has to come from my dr when he reads it.
So there seems to be an inconsistency here on whether technicians can give info or not.
Apparently some drs allow it but where I am, they don’t
Right now waiting to hear from Hepatologist about my slides from liver biopsy and full report from Fibroscan. The waiting is unbearable for me.
I understand how you fell. I’m not one to wait very long for answers or results. All sorts of thoughts go through your mind. I had my ultrasound before the fibroscan. I remember telling the technician how uptight I was. And of course when she had scanned everything, she went back to a certain area on my right side. Of course I’m thinking “hmm, she must have found something”, lol! I tried to find out something but she was giving no info. Maybe you will have results soon. I’ll send up a prayer for you🙏🏻😊
Yes...the waiting is horrible. Once you establish a relationship with your hepatologist, it will get better. They will get back to you sooner once everything is more established. Does your doctor have a patient portal? I communicate with my hepatologist that way. He loves it because he can respond when he is free & no phone tag. Though I do call him if I need to speak to him.
On the patient portal, usually it says give him 48 hours to get back to you. But he usually responds either same day or next day.
There is a patient portal but she says she would rather call and have the conversation. Especially because this is deciding whether I have PBC or something else. She is giving me a second opinion on my biopsy. I believe that you are right moving forward when it is just blood work.
I was a Medical Assistance. Even when we gave flu test and it came back positive. We had to let the dr tell them. Medicail rule. Lol
I am more confident with my dr reading it. Technicians scan every day but our drs are trained to a higher degree on reading them. I have a copy of my fibroscan which I appreciated.
Akaline Phosphate higher numbers can be connected to bone disease. I read online.
That is true. So doctor will test ggt to ascertain whether it is liver related.
GGT plays a key role in the gamma-glutamyl cycle, a pathway for the synthesis and degradation of glutathione and drug and xenobiotic detoxification.[3] Other lines of evidence indicate that GGT can also exert a pro-oxidant role, with regulatory effects at various levels in cellular signal transduction and cellular pathophysiology.[4] This transferase is found in many tissues, the most notable one being the liver, and has significance in medicine as a diagnostic marker.