title: Longitudinal assessment of liver stiffness by transient elastography for chronic hepatitis B patients treated with nucleoside analog.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the association between liver stiffness measured by transient elastography (FibroScan) and the efficacy of long-term nucleoside analog (NA) treatment for patients with chronic hepatitis B.
  
  
  METHODS
  Study 1: Forty-four chronic HBV patients had liver stiffness measured by FibroScan and underwent liver biopsy. Study 2: Group A: 22 patients started NA treatment at entry and FibroScan was done annually for 3 years. Group B: 23 patients started NA treatment prior to pretreatment FibroScan measurement, and FibroScan was done for from 3 to 5 years after the start of NA treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Study 1: The FibroScan values were significantly correlated with fibrosis stage (r = 0.672, P < 0.0001). Optimal cutoff of FibroScan values were 6.1 kPa for ≥ F1, 6.3 kPa for ≥ F2, 8.9 kPa for ≥ F3 and 12.0 kPa for F4. Study 2: For Group A, the baseline median FibroScan value was 8.2 kPa. FibroScan values significantly decreased annually for 3 years after the start of NA treatment (6.4 kPa, 5.8 kPa and 5.3 kPa at years 1, 2 and 3, respectively). For Group B, the FibroScan values did not significantly improve over the 3 years after the start of NA treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Liver stiffness, measured by transient elastography, of chronic hepatitis B patients treated with NA showed a rapid decline in the first 3 years followed by a more steady transition for from 3 to 5 years irrespective of long term virological effect.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Internal Medicine, Kyushu University Hospital             Department of Environmental Medicine and Infectious Disease, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Eiichi
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.forename: Norihiro
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Furusyo
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Murata
authors.forename: Hachiro
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ohnishi
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Toyoda
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Taniai
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ihara
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ikezaki
authors.forename: Takeo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: Mosaburo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kainuma
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hayashi