Abstract

CAETANO, Ana Célia et al. Does a light meal change liver stiffness in transient elastography?: A prospective stud. J Port Gastrenterol. [online]. 2014, vol.21, n.3, pp.102-108. ISSN 0872-8178.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpg.2013.10.005.

Introduction: Transient Elastography (TE) is a noninvasive method widely used to evaluate hepatic fibrosis in patients with liver disease, especially in chronic hepatitis C. It has excelente accuracy in identifying patients with advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis. However, some factos can interfere with liver stiffness (LS) measurement. The food intake may be one of those confounding factors and there are no defined conditions under which the examination should be performed. Objectives: To evaluate the influence of food intake in LS and its potential interference with the clinical management of patients with chronic hepatitis B and chronic hepatitis C. Patients & Methods: Observational prospective study in which TE was performed in two physiological conditions - fasting and after (30-60 minutes) a standard meal - in a sample of 42 patients with chronic hepatitis B, 26 chronic hepatitis C and 42 controls. The analysis was complemented by the division into subgroups according to the presumed stage of fibrosis. Results: Despite the LS variation in all groups with food intake, a significant increase was only seen in individuals with chronic hepatitis B without suspected fibrosis (low LS) (p = 0,001). This variation could influence the clinical orientation in 11.8% of cases. Conclusion: In our study, a meal altered LS value in chronic hepatitis B without suspected fibrosis (low LS). As it does not seem to interfere significantly with the clinical management of  our patients, we can not, at this point, make any suggestion about the usefulness of performing this exam in the fasting condition.

Keywords : Liver stiffness; Transient elastography; Fasting condition; Light meal.

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