Diagnostic performance of collagen IV and laminin for the prediction of fibrosis and cirrhosis in chronic hepatitis C patients: a multicenter study.

Background/aim: To date, liver biopsy has been the gold standard used for the assessment of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C. Our aim was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of a panel of simple blood markers of liver fibrosis and the development a novel score to replace liver biopsy.

Patients And Methods: Liver biochemical profile including transaminases, bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, and albumin, in addition to platelet count, was evaluated using standard methods in 305 chronic hepatitis C patients.