Severe lactic acidosis during treatment of chronic hepatitis B with entecavir in patients with impaired liver function.

Entecavir is a potent nucleoside inhibitor of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) polymerase with a high antiviral efficacy and a high genetic barrier to viral resistance. After approval in 2006, knowledge on the side effect profile in patients with advanced liver disease and impaired liver function is still limited. Here, we report on 16 patients with liver cirrhosis and chronic hepatitis B who were treated with entecavir.

Liver fibrosis in viral hepatitis: noninvasive assessment with acoustic radiation force impulse imaging versus transient elastography.

Purpose: To compare, in a pilot study, acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) imaging technology integrated into a conventional ultrasonography (US) system with both transient elastography (TE) and serologic fibrosis marker testing for the noninvasive assessment of liver fibrosis.

Materials And Methods: Informed consent was obtained from all subjects, and the local ethics committee approved the study. ARFI imaging involved the mechanical excitation of tissue with use of short-duration acoustic pulses to generate localized displacements in tissue.