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FibroScan
A painless scan that measures scarring and fat in the liver, without needles and without sedation. It takes about ten minutes and you can drive yourself home afterwards.
At a glance
10 minutes
Typical appointment length for the scan itself.
No needles
Nothing is injected and nothing is taken. A probe rests on the skin.
No sedation
You stay fully awake, and you can drive yourself home.
Immediate reading
The measurement is produced during the appointment.
What a FibroScan measures
FibroScan is the common name for transient elastography. A small probe is placed on the skin over the liver, between the ribs. It sends a gentle vibration through the liver tissue and measures how fast the resulting wave travels.
Stiff tissue carries the wave faster than soft tissue, so the reading gives an estimate of liver stiffness, which reflects how much scarring, or fibrosis, is present. A second reading, the controlled attenuation parameter, estimates how much fat is in the liver.
Historically, assessing scarring in the liver meant a biopsy, which involves a needle, a recovery period and a small risk of bleeding. FibroScan gives a comparable picture for many patients in a few minutes with none of that.
Why your doctor might send you for one
- Fatty liver disease, to see whether it has caused scarring
- Persistently abnormal liver blood tests
- Chronic hepatitis B or hepatitis C, at diagnosis and to monitor over time
- Liver disease related to alcohol
- Monitoring known fibrosis or cirrhosis, where repeat measurements show whether it is stable, improving or progressing
- A fatty liver noticed incidentally on an ultrasound or CT scan done for another reason
What happens at the appointment
- You lie on your back with your right arm raised behind your head.
- A little gel is applied to the skin over the right side of your ribcage.
- The probe is positioned and takes a series of readings. You feel a light tapping or flicking sensation, which is not painful.
- The scan produces the stiffness and fat measurements, which are reported to your referring physician.
Come with an empty stomach
Eating shortly beforehand affects the reading. You will usually be asked not to eat for a period before the scan. We confirm the exact instruction when we book you, so follow what we tell you at that point.
What the result means
A FibroScan result is one piece of information, not a diagnosis on its own. Your physician interprets the stiffness and fat readings alongside your blood tests, your history and any imaging you have had.
A raised stiffness reading does not automatically mean you have cirrhosis. Several things can push a reading up temporarily, including recent food, inflammation of the liver, and heart failure. That is one reason the scan is interpreted by a physician rather than read off a number.
Coverage and cost
Funding for FibroScan in Ontario depends on why the scan is being done and on your circumstances. It is not funded on the same basis as a colonoscopy or a gastroscopy. Please contact the clinic before your appointment so we can tell you exactly what applies in your case, and confirm it with you in writing.
Getting a FibroScan here
As with our other services, FibroScan is arranged by physician referral. Ask your family doctor, hepatologist or gastroenterologist to send a referral to the clinic and we will contact you to book.
Ask your doctor about a FibroScan
If you have fatty liver disease, hepatitis, or liver blood tests that keep coming back abnormal, a FibroScan may be the next step. Referrals can be faxed to 905-856-2602.