“The use of the test will save the patients from needing liver biopsies"
SCOTTSDALE, Arizona (PRWEB) December 15, 2014
Liverlab, Inc. is pleased to introduce Arizona’s first open-to-the-public FibroScan Clinic, The LiverLab.
The FibroScan® device received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on April 5th, 2013 (http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cdrh_docs/pdf12/k123806.pdf). FibroScan provides an option to the liver needle biopsy to assess the progression of Liver Fibrosis in patients with Chronic Liver Disease (CLD).
The Board of Directors of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD) endorsed the FibroScan in 2014 (http://www.theliverlab.com/downloads/AASLD_Endorses_FibroScan.pdf). The AASLD, composed of the nation’s top liver specialists, concluded that the FibroScan saves CLD patients from needing liver biopsies, while at the same time they noted that the FibroScan test is more accurate than Liver Biopsies,“the use of the test will save the patients from needing liver biopsies, which are expensive and can have morbidity and mortality. Furthermore, sampling variability with biopsies impairs their accuracy, a problem not present with VCTE [Fibroscan].”
The FibroScan is a game-changer for patients with CLD. This is because Liver Fibrosis/Liver Cirrhosis is the silent killer associated with CLD. Liver Fibrosis is comprised of four stages, and the last stage – stage four – is called Liver Cirrhosis. Safe, accurate and frequent monitoring is essential for treating Liver Disease.
Some of the most common Chronic Liver Diseases (CLD) which are known to induce progressive Liver Fibrosis include:
- Alcoholic Liver Disease (ALD)
- Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)/Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH)
- Hepatitis C (HCV) viral infections
- Hepatitis B (HBV) viral infections
Estimates are that 35% of the population has NAFLD, while 20% of NAFLD patients experience NASH with progressive Liver Fibrosis. Alcohol abuse, or ALD is the major cause of Liver Transplantations today. HCV and HBV are serious and growing problems for our Healthcare systems. The combined patient populations of these CLD approaches 50% of the general population. Patients with CLD often progress to Liver Cirrhosis without becoming aware of the fact until it is too late. These patients often progress to End-Stage-Liver-Disease or Liver Transplantation.
The FibroScan examination process is fast, safe, painless and non-invasive. The procedure takes about 15 minutes and is safe and causes no discomfort to the patient. The FibroScan test provides immediate results of the patient’s Liver Fibrosis status. This critical piece of information allows the physician to monitor the progression of the patient’s Liver Fibrosis, and to provide appropriate treatment, when necessary.
- The LiverLab accepts walk-in patients with or without a doctor’s referral.
- The cash price for a FibroScan test is $350.00.
- Physicians at The LiverLab are ready to help walk-in patients interpret the FibroScan results and inform the patient about his or her healthcare options.
- The LiverLab is inspected and registered by the Arizona Health and Human Services as an Outpatient Treatment Facility.
- The LiverLab is inspected and registered by Medicare as an Independent Diagnostic Testing Facility.
- FibroScan test at The LiverLab may be reimbursable by all major Health Insurance plans in 2015.
For more information about The LiverLab, please visit The Liver Lab website at http://www.TheLiverLab.com, or call 844.254.8375.