title: [Transient elastography: noninvasive assessment of liver fibrosis. Report of 1,000 cases in Argentina].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Transient elastography (TE) is a noninvasive method for assessment of hepatic fibrosis.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To present the first case series evaluated in Latin America, in an University Hospital in Buenos Aires, during an 18-month period.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data was collected between August 2009 and January 2011. A database was built considering clinical, biochemical and histology data. The exams were performed with a medium probe. An exam was considered valid when success rate was higher than 60% and interquartile range lower than 30%.
  
  
  RESULTS
  1,023 studies were performed. Patients were referred by in-hospital (53%) and out-hospital physicians (47%). Etiologies were: HCV 409 (40%), NAFLD 213 (20.8%), HBV 110 (10.7%), cholestasis 93 (9.1%), other 198 (19.4%). Significant fibrosis (F > 2) was detected in 32.4% HCV, 32.1% HBV 31.5% NASH, and 33.4% cholestasis. Exams were not technically achievable in 29 patients (2.8%), of whom 96.5% had body mass index (BMI) higher than 28 kg/m2. However 117 of 145 patients with BMI higher than 28 kg/m2 had a successful exam. In 332 patients simultaneously biopsies (less than 6 months) were obtained, with overall coincidence of 77%. In 21 HCV transplanted patients coincidence was 90.4%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Similar results to those in the literature were obtained, with excellent biopsy correlation in HCV transplanted patients. The increasing use of TE in the assessment and monitoring of chronic liver diseases has become evident by both increasing number of exams and decreasing number of diffuse liver biopsies.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Diagnóstico por Imágenes, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Argentina. mariana.kucharczyk@hospitalitaliano.org.ar
authors.forename: Mariana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kucharczyk
authors.forename: Joaquín
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Solari
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tarzian
authors.forename: Omar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Galdame
authors.forename: Juan Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Bandi
authors.forename: Adrián
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gadano
authors.forename: Ricardo García
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Mónaco
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001118:Argentina; D001706:Biopsy; D015992:Body Mass Index; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012720:Severity of Illness Index