We all worry about our heart and gut health – but many people forget about their liver health. It’s more important than you know, but it’s difficult to gauge how healthy your liver is.
At Gateway Gastroenterology, our team of experienced gastroenterologists offers the cutting-edge FibroScan® as a non-invasive option for evaluating liver health. We use the most advanced tests and treatments to help you maintain a healthy gut and liver.
The liver is an extremely important organ, as it performs more than 500 functions. While we don’t always think about liver health, it is responsible for many things, including:
It supports other organ functions, can regenerate itself, and controls energy levels and whole body immunity. However, when the liver isn’t working correctly, various health issues arise.
The Fibroscan is an innovative, painless, noninvasive way to assess liver health. At Gateway Gastroenterology, we offer it to anyone who needs or wants to check their liver.
The machine utilizes ultrasound waves to determine scarring or fatty liver. During the exam, a probe sends high-frequency sound waves into the body. They bounce off the liver to determine the amount of stiffness in the organ.
As sound waves bounce off the liver, they provide our team with valuable information. The faster the waves move back and forth, the stiffer the liver becomes. A stiff liver could indicate scarring, known as fibrosis.
The FibroScan procedure is painless and noninvasive. You don’t need to prepare for the test; just show up on the day of the procedure in comfortable clothing. We may ask you to avoid eating or drinking for a few hours beforehand.
Bring your insurance card and wear a loose shirt so you can expose your stomach. We have you lie on a table and pull up your shirt to expose your abdomen.
Keep your right arm above your head to give us room to work. We apply ultrasound gel to the abdomen and move a wand over the area. You may feel some vibration, but you won’t experience any pain.
The test takes only about 10 to 15 minutes. We clean off the ultrasound gel when we finish, and you can go on about your normal day.
The machine evaluates the results immediately, and we discuss them with you before leaving. Two ways the FibroScan provides information on liver health are through the fibrosis score and the controlled attenuation score (CAP).
We use the fibrosis score to estimate the extent of liver scarring. A score of F0 to F1 means mild scarring, F2 is moderate, and F3 means severe scarring. A score of F4 means you have advanced scarring, which indicates cirrhosis of the liver.
The CAP score determines the amount of fat within the liver. The grades we get from the FibroScan range from S0 to S3. S0 means you have a very healthy liver, while a grade S3 means severe steatosis, or fatty liver disease.
We use these results to help you understand your liver’s condition and to personalize your treatment plan, especially if you have a fatty liver or stiffness from cirrhosis. This tailored approach uses your results to guide the best next steps for your health.
To find out more about the FibroScan procedure, call our conveniently located office in Chesterfield, Missouri, or request a consultation on our website.