Liver stiffness, a non-invasive marker of liver disease: a core study group report.

The ability to evaluate liver stiffness non-invasively in clinical practice by measuring transient elastography using FibroScan(®) has resulted in considerable interest and enthusiasm. A core study group, organized by the Italian Association for the Study of the Liver, has assessed the usefulness of FibroScan(®) in the diagnosis and management of liver disease in clinical practice. The group concluded that FibroScan(®) is a valuable, non-invasive technique and have developed a consensus report form for registering transient elastography results. In this article, we report the findings of the study group.