title: Diagnostic value of biochemical markers (FibroTest-FibroSURE) for the prediction of liver fibrosis in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Liver biopsy is considered as the gold standard for assessing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) histologic lesions. The aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic utility of non-invasive markers of fibrosis, validated in chronic viral hepatitis and alcoholic liver disease (FibroTest, FT), in patients with NAFLD.
  
  
  METHODS
  170 patients with suspected NAFLD were prospectively included in a reference center (Group 1), 97 in a multicenter study (Group 2) and 954 blood donors as controls. Fibrosis was assessed on a 5 stage histological scale validated by Kleiner et al from F0 = none, F1 = perisinusoidal or periportal, F2 = perisinusoidal and portal/periportal, F3 = bridging and F4 = cirrhosis. Histology and the biochemical measurements were blinded to any other characteristics. The area under the ROC curves (AUROC), sensitivity (Se), specificity (Sp), positive and negative predictive values (PPV, NPV) were assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In both groups FT has elevated and not different AUROCs for the diagnosis of advanced fibrosis (F2F3F4): 0.86 (95%CI 0.77-0.91) versus 0.75 (95%CI 0.61-0.83; P = 0.10), and for F3F4: 0.92 (95%CI 0.83-0.96) versus 0.81 (95%CI 0.64-0.91; P = 0.12) in Group 1 and Group 2 respectively. When the 2 groups were pooled together a FT cutoff of 0.30 had a 90% NPV for advanced fibrosis (Se 77%); a FT cutoff of 0.70 had a 73% PPV for advanced fibrosis (Sp 98%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In patients with NAFLD, FibroTest, a simple and non-invasive quantitative estimate of liver fibrosis reliably predicts advanced fibrosis.
authors.affiliation: Hepato-Gastroenterology, AP-HP Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France. vratziu@teaser.fr
authors.forename: Vlad
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ratziu
authors.forename: Julien
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Massard
authors.forename: Frederic
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Charlotte
authors.forename: Djamila
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Messous
authors.forename: Françoise
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Imbert-Bismut
authors.forename: Luninita
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bonyhay
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tahiri
authors.forename: Mona
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Munteanu
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Thabut
authors.forename: Jean François
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Cadranel
authors.forename: Brigitte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Le Bail
authors.forename: Victor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: de Ledinghen
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Poynard
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000465:Algorithms; D016632:Apolipoprotein A-I / Q000097:blood; D001322:Autoanalysis; D001663:Bilirubin / Q000097:blood; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001706:Biopsy; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006242:Haptoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis; D008875:Middle Aged; D009391:Nephelometry and Turbidimetry; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012372:ROC Curve; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012737:Sex Factors; D000511:alpha-Macroglobulins / Q000032:analysis; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D016632:Apolipoprotein A-I; D015415:Biomarkers; D006242:Haptoglobins; D000511:alpha-Macroglobulins; D005723:gamma-Glutamyltransferase; D000410:Alanine Transaminase; D001663:Bilirubin