Liver Failure and Liver Disease

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Noninvasive measures of liver fibrosis†

  1. Don C. Rockey1,‡,*,
  2. D. Montgomery Bissell2

Article first published online: 30 JAN 2006

DOI: 10.1002/hep.21046

Issue

Hepatology

Hepatology

Special Issue: 25th Anniversary Issue

Volume 43, Issue S1, pages S113–S120, February 2006

Additional Information

How to Cite

Rockey, D. C. and Bissell, D. M. (2006), Noninvasive measures of liver fibrosis. Hepatology, 43: S113–S120. doi: 10.1002/hep.21046

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Medicine, and the Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX

  2. 2

    Department of Medicine, and the Division of Gastroenterology and Liver Center, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA

  1. ‡

    fax:214-648-0274.

*University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390-8887

  1. †

    Potential conflict of interest: Nothing to report.

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 30 JAN 2006
  2. Article first published online: 30 JAN 2006

Funded by

  • NIH. Grant Numbers: R01 DK 50574, R01 DK 57830, P30 DK 26743
  • Burroughs Welcome Fund
  • BWF Translational Scientist Award

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Abstract

As novel therapies for liver fibrosis evolve, non-invasive measurement of liver fibrosis will be required to help manage patients with chronic liver disease. Although liver biopsy is the current and time-honored gold standard for measurement of liver fibrosis, it is poorly suited to frequent monitoring because of its expense and morbidity, and its accuracy suffers from sampling variation. At the current writing, serum markers and imaging methods are available and increasingly in use as alternatives to biopsy. However, many questions remain about their indications, accuracy, and cost-effectiveness, and more investigation is required before they are put into widespread use. The development of safe, inexpensive, and reliable noninvasive fibrosis measurement tools remains a research priority in clinical hepatology. (Hepatology 2006;43:S113–S120.)

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