Advances in the application of transient elastography in noninvasive diagnosis of liver fibrosis / 临床肝胆病杂志

ABSTRACT

Liver biopsy is the most sensitive and specific method for the diagnosis and staging of liver fibrosis, but its invasiveness and limitations have promoted the wide application of noninvasive evaluation methods for liver fibrosis in clinical practice in recent years. Various studies have proved the diagnostic efficiency of transient elastography (TE) in chronic liver diseases of various etiologies, such as viral hepatitis, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, alcoholic liver disease, and autoimmune liver disease, especially in liver fibrosis and liver cirrhosis, and therefore, it has been incorporated into clinical practice guidelines in many countries. However, the diagnostic efficiency of TE in liver fibrosis is affected by several factors including aminotransferases, bilirubin, liver inflammation, and steatosis. Several noninvasive methods should be used in combination based on etiology to improve diagnostic accuracy.