A FibroScan is a quick, painless liver test that checks your liver for fat and scarring without a needle or biopsy. At Mar Sleeva Medicity Palai in Kottayam, the scan takes only a few minutes, uses no radiation, and gives your doctor two important measurements about your liver health in a single sitting.

What is a FibroScan?

A FibroScan is a special, non invasive ultrasound scan of the liver. Also known as transient elastography, it is placed on the skin over the right side of your chest and measures how healthy your liver tissue is, without any needle, cut or injection. The scan is painless, takes only a few minutes, and you can go home immediately afterwards.

Unlike an ordinary ultrasound, which mainly produces pictures, a FibroScan sends a gentle vibration into the liver and measures how quickly it passes through the tissue. A softer liver lets the wave move more slowly, while a stiffer, more scarred liver lets it move faster. From this, the machine calculates a precise measurement of your liver's condition.

What does a FibroScan measure?

A FibroScan measures two separate things about your liver in the same sitting, which is what makes it so useful. Together, these two numbers give your doctor a clear picture of both how much fat is in your liver and how much scarring has developed.

• Liver fat, or steatosis (CAP score) The Controlled Attenuation Parameter, measured in decibels per metre (dB/m), shows how much fat has built up in the liver. This is the measurement that identifies fatty liver disease and how mild or advanced it is.
• Liver stiffness, or fibrosis (kPa) Liver stiffness, measured in kilopascals (kPa), reflects how much scarring the liver has. A higher stiffness reading can point to more fibrosis, which is important to detect early before it advances towards cirrhosis.

Why is a FibroScan done?

A FibroScan is done to check for fatty liver disease and liver scarring early, often before there are any symptoms. Liver problems can develop silently for years, and by the time symptoms appear the damage may be advanced. A FibroScan lets your doctor assess your liver simply and repeatedly, so problems can be caught and managed early.

It is also used to follow a known liver condition over time. Because the scan is quick, painless and repeatable, it is well suited to monitoring whether a liver condition is stable, improving, or getting worse, and whether treatment or lifestyle changes are working.

Who should get a FibroScan?

A FibroScan may be recommended, or worth asking your doctor about, if you have any risk factor for liver disease. Fatty liver in particular is very common and often causes no symptoms, so testing is the only way to know. You may benefit from a FibroScan if you have any of the following.

• You have been told you have fatty liver on a previous ultrasound or scan
• You have diabetes, obesity, or high cholesterol
• You have hepatitis B or hepatitis C
• You drink alcohol regularly and want to check your liver
• Your liver blood tests (such as SGPT or SGOT) came back abnormal
• You are already under follow up for a known liver condition

How to prepare for a FibroScan

Preparing for a FibroScan is simple. In most cases you will be asked not to eat for about 3 hours before the scan, because food in the stomach can affect the reading. You can usually drink water as normal. There is no other special preparation, no medication to stop and no injection beforehand. Our team will confirm the exact instructions for you when you book.

What happens during the scan

During a FibroScan you simply lie on your back on a couch with your right arm raised above your head, which opens up the space between your ribs. The person performing the scan applies a little gel and rests the probe on your skin over the liver. The probe sends a series of gentle pulses, and you may feel a light flicking sensation, but no pain. Several readings are taken over a few minutes, and the machine averages them into your final scores. You can get up and leave straight away.

Understanding your FibroScan results

Your FibroScan report shows two scores: a liver stiffness value in kPa (for scarring) and a CAP value in dB/m (for fat). As a general guide, a lower stiffness reading, around 6 to 7 kPa or below, usually suggests little or no significant scarring, while higher readings may point to more fibrosis that needs a closer look. A higher CAP value indicates more fat in the liver.

FibroScan vs liver biopsy

For many years, the main way to assess liver scarring was a liver biopsy, in which a needle removes a small piece of liver tissue. A FibroScan gives your doctor much of the same information without a needle. In some situations a biopsy may still be needed, but for a large number of patients the scan means it can be avoided or delayed.

FibroScan at Mar Sleeva Medicity Palai

FibroScan is available at Mar Sleeva Medicity Palai in Kottayam, within the Department of Medical Gastroenterology. The service is led by Dr. Ramesh M, Senior Consultant and Head of Medical Gastroenterology, and the wider liver and digestive care team, so your scan is interpreted by specialists and placed in the context of your overall liver health.

You can walk in to book a FibroScan. If you are already under a doctor for a liver condition, it helps to bring your previous reports and blood tests so the team can compare your results over time. Patients from across Kottayam and Central Kerala can access this non invasive liver test as part of comprehensive gastroenterology and liver care.

Frequently asked questions

This article is for general information about FibroScan (transient elastography) at Mar Sleeva Medicity Palai and is not a substitute for medical advice. Whether a FibroScan is right for you, and how your results should be interpreted, is decided by your doctor based on your individual condition.