Correlation of FIBROSpect II with histologic and morphometric evaluation of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C.

Background & Aims: Accurate disease staging in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) infection helps guide treatment and may provide prognostic information. Liver biopsies are invasive, costly, and associated with morbidity. We hypothesized that a noninvasive test of liver fibrosis can accurately stage liver fibrosis.

Prospective Evaluation of FIBROSpect II for Fibrosis Detection in Hepatitis C and B Patients Undergoing Laparoscopic Biopsy.

Serum markers of liver fibrosis are difficult to validate, due to the sampling error and observer variability associated with percutaneous liver biopsies. Laparoscopic biopsy decreases sampling error and increases the reliability of histopathologic assessment. We prospectively evaluated the FIBROSpect(SM) II serum marker test for viral liver fibrosis against laparoscopic biopsies by studying 145 patients with chronic hepatitis B or C who underwent laparoscopy in a tertiary care setting.