الفهرس 
AnatomyOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Liver fibrosis refers to the accumulation of connective scar tissue in the liver. As opposed to a healthy liver in which the production and breakdown of scar tissue are in balance, a fibrotic liver is unable to decompose scar tissue at the same rate it is being produced .As liver fibrosis progresses in severity, the liver gradually becomes stiffer and blood flow is reduced. Often this can lead to the development of cirrhosis, a condition in which liver transplantation is the only treatment option available for preventing death.
Risk factors for liver fibrosis include viral-associated hepatitis (B and C), excessive alcohol consumption, autoimmune disease and metabolic disorders. Tests for diagnosing and assessing the extent of liver fibrosis are particularly important to the treatment of the condition and the prevention of cirrhosis.
Given the asymptomatic nature of early stage fibrosis, diagnostic testing is usually reserved for individuals at a high risk of developing the condition (for example individuals suffering from hepatitis C). Currently the ‘gold standard’ for diagnosing and grading liver fibrosis in these individuals is liver biopsy.
Unfortunately, patient acceptability of liver biopsy is relatively low due to the invasive nature of the procedure and the possibility for developing potentially life-threatening complications . The performance of liver biopsy, in terms of accuracy and reproducibility, is also questionable due to sampling errors and the presence of inter- and intra-observer variability. Due to its invasive nature, liver biopsy may not be acceptable when there is a need for repeated assessments of fibrosis over short periods of time. These shortcomings highlight the need for alternative non-invasive measures of liver fibrosis.