Factors that affect the diagnostic accuracy of liver fibrosis measurement by Fibroscan in patients with chronic hepatitis B

Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2010; 32: 498-505 SummaryBackground Interquartile rangemedian value (IQRM) of liver stiffness measurement (LSM) is a factor in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) leading to over estimation of fibrosis by Fibroscan. Aim To investigate factors that affect the accuracy of LSM in chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Methods One hundred and ninety-nine patients were enrolled. Only procedures yielding ≥10 valid measurements were considered reliable. Liver fibrosis was evaluated using the Batts and Ludwig system. Liver biopsy (LB) specimens <15 mm were considered ineligible. Results The mean age (142 men and 57 women) was 40.1 years. A significant discordance (discordance of at least two stages between LB and LSM) was identified in 38 (19.1%) and 47 (23.6%) patients respectively, according to Marcellin et al. and Chan et al.'s cutoff values. In multivariate analyses, BMI and fibrosis stage (F0-2 vs. F3-4) were identified as independent predictors for significant discordance (P = 0.040; hazard ratio [HR], 1.126; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.005-1.261 and P = 0.036; HR, 0.450; 95% CI, 0.213-0.949 respectively) with Marcellin et al.'s cutoffs, whereas fibrosis stage was the only independent predictor (P = 0.004; HR, 0.300; 95% CI, 0.131-0.685) with Chan's cutoffs. Conclusions Success rate and IQRM were not predictive factors of the accuracy for diagnosing liver fibrosis by Fibroscan in CHB. Fibrosis stage (F0-2) was the only factor to predict significant discordance between LB and LSM.