FibroScan Detection of Fatty Liver/Liver Fibrosis in 2266 Cases of Chronic Hepatitis B.

Background and Aims: FibroScan is used to determine liver stiffness and controlled attenuation parameter (referred to as CAP) scores in patients, including those with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). We used FibroScan to detect the incidence of fatty liver and fibrosis in CHB patients, and to assess the correlation of FibroScan measurements with blood chemistry tests.

Methods

CHB patients enrolled in this study were divided independently for three separate analyses (of fibrosis, cirrhosis, and fatty liver) based on FibroScan results. Basic information, blood chemistry test results, liver fibrosis parameters, and FibroScan results were collected. T-tests and Pearson's analyses were used to analyze the correlations between FibroScan liver stiffness measurement/CAP values and liver function, blood fat, uric acid metabolite, fibrosis, and hepatitis B virus load.

Results

A total of 2266 CHB patients were enrolled in the study and divided into three groups: non-significant and significant fibrosis; non-cirrhosis and early cirrhosis; and non-fatty and fatty liver. Spearman's statistical analyses showed that liver stiffness measurement or CAP values correlated with sex (r=0.137), age (r=0.119),glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (r=0.082), glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (r=-0.172), gamma-glutamyltransferase (r=0.225), albumin (r=0.150), globulin (r=-0.107), total bilirubin (r=-0.132), direct bilirubin (r=-0.145), white blood cell count (r=0.254), hemoglobin (r=0.205), platelets (r=0.206), total cholesterol (r=0.214), high density lipoprotein (r=-0.243), low density lipoprotein (r=0.255), apolipoprotein B (r=0.217), hyaluronic acid (r=-0.069), laminin (r=-0.188), procollagen type IV (r=-0.067)and hepatitis B viral DNA load (r=-0.216).

Conclusions

FibroScan is a non-invasive device that can detect the occurrence of fatty liver or liver fibrosis in CHB patients.