Vibration Controlled Transient Elastography (Fibroscan®) in sickle cell liver disease - could we strike while the liver is hard?

Gil Ben Yakov, Disha Sharma, Hawwa Alao, Pallavi Surana, Devika Kapuria, Ohad Etzion, Matthew M. Hsieh, John F. Tisdale, Courtney D. Fitzhugh, David E. Kleiner, Elliot B. Levy, Richard Chang, Elenita Rivera, Amy Huang, Christopher Koh, Theo Heller

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

7 Scopus citations

Abstract

Vibration controlled transient elastography (VCTE) is validated for the evaluation of hepatic fibrosis in different liver diseases. Sickle cell liver disease (SCLD) results from a cumulative hepatic injury and its lifelong and progressive nature raises the need for a non-invasive tool for fibrosis evaluation. Fifty patients, aged between 23 and 59 years with sickle cell disease and suspected SCLD underwent a VCTE followed by a liver biopsy. Biopsies were evaluated for various scores of liver disease that were then correlated to VCTE score. 90% of our patients had an Ishak Fibrosis (IF) score between 0–2 (Group A-minimal to no fibrosis) and 10% of the patients had IF score between 3–6 (Group B-advanced fibrosis). The median Transient Elastography (TE) for patients in Groups A and B was 4·8 kilopascals (kPa) and 17·6 kPa, respectively. A positive correlation was shown between TE and IF score, R = 0·0·68 (P = <0·0001); a positive correlation was also shown with Histology Activity Index fibrosis score, R = 0·64 (P = <0·0001). This study emphasises the need for further studies of non-invasive tools and their utility in liver fibrosis evaluation of patients with SCLD.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)117-123
Number of pages7
JournalBritish Journal of Haematology
Volume187
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 1 2019

Keywords

  • liver biopsy
  • sickle cell disease
  • sickle cell hepatopathy
  • sickle cell liver disease
  • vibration controlled transient elastography

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