title: Prospective Evaluation of Liver Stiffness Using Transient Elastography in Alcoholic Patients Following Abstinence.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Fibroscan®is a non-invasive method to evaluate liver stiffness (LS), however, its accuracy in alcohol-related liver diseases (ALD) especially with respect to active or stopped alcohol drinking is largely unknown. We prospectively evaluated the LS changes in patients with ALD following alcohol withdrawal.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-four patients were evaluated by FibroScan®and lab tests at baseline and after 4 weeks of abstinence.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At baseline, 21 patients (33%) had an abnormal LS (> 7 kPa) and 32 patients (50%) had abnormal liver function tests. More specifically, 3 and 11 subjects had a LS higher than 9.6 kPa and 12.5 kPa, respectively. The LS significantly declined in abstinent from 9.2 ± 10.1 (M±SD) at the baseline to 6.9 ± 6.1 kPa at 4 weeks (P = 0.03), respectively, while did not change significantly in drinkers. In addition, 80% of abstainers had a significant LS reduction (-2.6 ± 5.5 kPa), compared to drinkers (2.2 ± 3.6 kPa) (P = 0.004). After 6 months, 27 patients accepted a further evaluation: 22 abstinent and 5 relapsed to drink. At the final evaluation, only 4 out of 22 abstainers had still a LS higher than 7 kPa.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  During active drinking LS is probably overestimated by Fibroscan®in ALD, since 1 month after abstinence it is dramatically reduced, especially in subjects with baseline values higher than 7 kPa.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We prospectively evaluated liver stiffness by Fibroscan®in patients with alcohol-related liver disease at baseline and following abstinence. After 1 month of abstinence, the LS is dramatically reduced, especially when values are greater than 7 kPa and transaminase elevated at baseline.
authors.affiliation: Unit of Gastroenterology, University Hospital Careggi, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gianni
authors.affiliation: Unit of Gastroenterology, University Hospital Careggi, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Forte
authors.affiliation: Alcohol Disease Center, Villa Basilewsky, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Galli
authors.affiliation: Unit of Gastroenterology, University Hospital Careggi, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Razzolini
authors.affiliation: Medical Toxicology University Hospital Careggi, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bardazzi
authors.affiliation: Unit of Gastroenterology, University Hospital Careggi, Florence, Italy annesev@aou-careggi.toscana.it.
authors.forename: Vito
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Annese
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D064829:Alcohol Abstinence / Q000639:trends*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008108:Liver Diseases, Alcoholic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies