Echosens, a high-technology company offering the FibroScan® portfolio of solutions, is pleased to announce that the “American Association of Clinical Endocrinology Clinical Practice Guideline for the Diagnosis and Management of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Primary Care and Endocrinology Clinical Settings” states that transient elastography (TE) is preferred to quantify liver fat (CAP) and fibrosis vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE) for risk stratification.
These guidelines make it very clear that to stage the risk of fibrosis in people with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), clinicians should choose VCTE – exemplified by FibroScan – as the best validated to identify advanced disease and predict liver-related outcomes.
To learn more read the fact sheet:
US: https://www.echosens.com/en-us/aace-clinical-practice-guidelines-2022/
Global: https://www.echosens.com/aace-clinical-practice-guidelines-2022/
“This technology offers the ideal way to identify patients at risk early to prevent the development of cirrhosis and comorbidities based on screenings with an individual’s liver fibrosis risk (FIB-4),” says Dominique Legros, Group CEO, Echosens. “This should be followed by additional plasma biomarkers and/or liver imaging based on fibrosis risk stratification into low, indeterminate or high risk of developing future cirrhosis, with referral to a liver specialist for those in the higher-risk groups.”
As a pioneer in the field of liver-related elastography, FibroScan is recognized worldwide as the non-invasive gold standard solution for liver fibrosis and liver steatosis assessment with more than 3,500 peer reviewed publications. This non-invasive technology quickly provides at the point of care, a quantitative assessment of liver stiffness and controlled attenuation parameter (CAP), which correlate with liver fibrosis and fat, respectively.
The AACE guidelines further state that it is prudent to consider repeat testing every two years for those at low risk, given that one study showed that only a minority will progress to a higher fibrosis stage within that period of time.
Legros adds, “Screening is important because early intervention can halt or reverse disease progression. In a recent study as referenced in the guidelines, in persons with Type 2 diabetes, screening for NAFLD followed by intensive lifestyle interventions was cost-effective, providing further support for screening recommendations. VCTE is the most broadly used noninvasive method for LSM and, thus, for establishing the risk of liver fibrosis and eventually for excluding cirrhosis.”
Because NAFLD is usually asymptomatic, point-of-care examinations, monitoring and ongoing assessment of liver fat and stiffness as provided by FibroScan can more cost-effectively identify individuals who are asymptomatic and undiagnosed for liver damage. It can also provide metrics for monitoring changes in liver fat due to lifestyle modification.
Jon Gingrich, CEO, Echosens North America, adds, “We are thrilled by the results of this research and for the broad consensus that screening and early intervention for obesity, prediabetes, dyslipidemia and hypertension are warranted. VCTE as provided by FibroScan is cost-effective, safe and allows for interventions to prevent diabetic complications and cardiovascular events.”