A non-invasive, pain-free test used to measure the stiffness of the liver in patients with liver disease.
What is the FibroScan test?
The FibroScan is a non-invasive, pain-free test used to measure the stiffness of the liver in patients with liver disease. Liver stiffness helps your healthcare provider determine the best course of treatment for your disease. The stiffer the liver, the more advanced the liver disease. The FibroScan may also be used to monitor your liver during treatment to track effectiveness.
What should I expect during a FibroScan test?
During the exam, you will be lying down on your back with the right arm raised and tucked behind your head. Preparation includes no food or drink three hours before the exam and you may wish to wear a looser fitting shirt as the skin covering your right rib cage area will need to be exposed in order to complete the exam.
A staff member will place a probe, similar to an ultrasound probe, on your side near where your liver is. That probe sends painless vibration through your body and into your liver. The probe measures how fast it takes the vibration to travel through the liver. The faster it takes the vibration to travel through the liver, the stiffer the liver is.
The examination itself takes about 10-15 minutes. You should plan to spend about 45 minutes at the clinic total.
You may drive yourself to and from the test.
What should I expect after the FibroScan test?
The FibroScan computer will analyze the information from your test. The results will be given to a doctor who will send the results to you and your primary physician.
Limitations of the FibroScan
FibroScan is useful as a non-invasive test to assess your liver. However, there are some factors that could impact the accuracy of your test results. These include, but are not limited to, elevated body mass index, ongoing alcohol intake, and heart failure.
Results from any testing will be sent via mail or sent to the Patient Portal.
