FibroScan® and transient elastography.

The use of non-invasive tests to stage the severity of liver disease (ie. scarring) is now well established in the management of patients with chronic liver disease. This is because assessment of liver scarring provides prognostic information and assists in establishing treatment priorities. One such technique, transient elastography (TE), is a simple, safe and efficient way to estimate liver scarring. FibroScan® (EchoSens, Paris) is the most popular non-invasive device used to assess liver 'hardness' (or stiffness) via TE in Australia. When performed in the appropriate clinical setting, TE provides a reliable method of detecting cirrhosis and excluding significant fibrosis, particularly when the results are supported by clinical and laboratory data.