Non-invasive detection of hepatic amyloidosis: FibroScan, a new tool

Introduction. FibroScan, a non-invasive tool for measuring liver stiffness (LS), is not specific to liver fibrosis. Other extra-hepatic conditions may modify the LS value.Objectives. Our aim was to examine whether amyloid deposition in the liver may modify LS.Methods. LS was measured prospectively in 41 patients with systemic AL amyloidosis (AL) in the French AL Reference Center, comprising: 5 patients with liver involvement (LI) and no cardiac involvement (CI), 11 with CI and no LI, 12 with both LI and CI and 13 with neither (2005 consensus criteria); 26 negative controls, 50 patients infected with Hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected and 18 AL-free patients with right-sided heart disease (‘cardiac controls’) were also examined.Results. Median LS was significantly higher in patients with AL with liver involvement [27.4 (10.3–75) kPa] than in negative controls [4.8 (2.8–11.9) kPa] (p < 0.0001), and patients infected with HCV [(6.8 (2.9–69.1) kPa] (p = 0.001), and tended to be higher than in the ‘cardiac contr...