Usefulness of elastometry in evaluating the extents of liver fibrosis in hemophiliacs coinfected with hepatitis C virus and human immunodeficiency virus.
The newly developed elastometer, FibroScan((R)), was utilized to evaluate liver fibrosis in hepatitis C virus (HCV)- and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-coinfected 33 hemophiliacs and HIV-uninfected 24 patients with chronic hepatitis C. Chronicity in the liver was categorized into 4 stages by abdominal ultrasound (AUS): 1 (normal or fatty liver); 2 (chronic liver disease, mild); 3 (moderate); and 4 (severe). Stiffness of the liver was significantly increased as AUS stages advanced: 5.4+/-2.2 (N=3) versus 7.5+/-2.7 (N=9), in stage 1; 4.9+/-1.7 (N=2) versus 9.9+/-6.0 (N=10), in stage 2, 13.5+/-4.7 (N=5) versus 12.9+/-5.9 (N=6), in stage 3, and 22.0+/-9.5 (N=14) versus 28.1+/-21.3 (N=8), in stage 4, in non-HIV group and in HIV group, respectively (P=0.004 and 0.007). Stiffness was correlated with AUS stages (r=0.740, P<0.001), platelet counts (PLT; r=-0.642, P=0.001) and 7S domain of type IV collagen (IV-coll; r=0.480, P=0.024) in non-HIV group, while in HIV group, with IV-coll (r=0.801, P<0.001), AUS stages (r=-0.603, P<0.001), procollagen type III peptides (P-III-P; r=0.621, P=0.001), PLT (r=-0.480, P=0.005), and hyaluronic acid (r=0.433, P=0.027). FibroScan((R)) is absolutely noninvasive and can be the alternative to liver biopsy, especially in patients with bleeding tendency.
Masaki
Naohiko
N
Division of Gastroenterology, International Medical Center of Japan, Toyama 1-21-1, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8655, Japan.
Imamura
Masatoshi
M
Kikuchi
Yoshimi
Y
Oka
Shinichi
S