We are proud to offer FibroScan®
Today's latest technology for quickly and painlessly evaluating liver health.
What is FibroScan®?
An examination with FibroScan®, is a painless way to understand your liver health.
When performed as part of an overall evaluation, FibroScan® provides valuable information for healthcare providers that might otherwise only be available from a liver biopsy.
The FibroScan® examination is painless, quick and easy.
FibroScan® non-invasively measures the stiffness of your liver by capturing and calculating the speed of a shear wave as it travels through the liver.
This detection of stiffness may be used as an aid to clinical management of liver disease.
During the scan, you will only feel a slight vibration on the skin at the tip of the probe.
How is a FibroScan® examination performed?
You lie on your back, with your right arm raised behind your head. The operator applies a water-based gel to the skin and positions the probe adjacent to your liver.
The operator then scans your liver to capture 10 meaningful measurements made at the same location.
The result is delivered at the end of the examination as a number in “kilopascals” (kPa.) Your doctor will interpret the result in conjunction with other information from your overall examination.
Will I be comfortable?
Yes. The exam is painless and non-invasive. It’s also easy and fast, usually taking 5 to 10 minutes.
How long does it take to see results and what do the results mean?
FibroScan® provides immediate results to the operator. Your physician then interprets the result according to your history and underlying disease.
How should I prepare for my examination?
It is important to have your FibroScan® examination on an empty stomach, Do not eat anything for at least 3 hours prior to your examination.
Wear comfortable clothes that will allow access to the right side of your rib cage.
It is important to tell your healthcare provider if you are pregnant, or if you have any active implantable devices, such as pacemakers, defibrillators, or pumps.
What is the liver? What does it do in the body?
The liver is the largest solid organ in the body, about the size of a football, and weighing three to four pounds.
The liver serves as the body’s filter and warehouse, with more than 1.5 quarts of blood pumping through it every minute. This allows the liver to effectively remove toxins and waste products from the blood stream. It also acts as a warehouse to hold onto substances like vitamins, minerals and glucose that the body will need later. The liver helps to manage cholesterol, hormones and sugar. It also regulates fat storage and blood clotting factors.
Why have a FibroScan® exam?
Several things that can harm the liver...
Medications
- Acetaminophen (Tylenol®) is usually well tolerated at prescribed doses, but overdose is the most common cause of drug induced liver disease and acute liver failure worldwide.
Some Herbal and Alternative Remedies
– such as Blue-green algae, Borage, Bupleurum, Chapparal, Confrey, Dong Quai, Germander, Jun Bu hua, Kava Mistletoe, Pennyroyal, Sassafras, Shark Cartilage, Skullcap and Valerian.
Infections that Affect the Liver
– Inflammation of the liver (Hepatitis.) Common causes are the viruses Hepatitis A, B, C.
Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver disease
– Fatty liver disease affects approximately 20% of the population worldwide and is commonly seen in people with diabetes and obesity. People with fatty liver disease may progressively damage their liver to an extent that requires a liver transplant.
Abuse of Alcohol
– This most common cause of cirrhosis in the Western world represents one of the ten most common causes of death.
Liver Damage
: If the liver sustains damage from any cause, normal liver tissue can become:
Fatty (steatosis)
Fibrous (fibrosis)
Scarred (cirrhosis)
Symptoms of liver damage can include fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, fever, itchy skin, abdominal pain, jaundice (yellowing of the eyes and skin), dark urine and pale stools.
A FibroScan® examination can help you and your healthcare provider understand your liver status and, when needed, create a care plan to support this vital organ.
