Correlation Between Fibroscan, Liver Biopsy, and Clinical Liver Function in Patients With Hepatitis C Virus Infection After Renal Transplantation

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is the most important liver disease (LD) after renal transplantation. Liver biopsy is the gold standard for the diagnosis and follow-up of LD. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the correlation between values of Fibroscan (EchoSens, Paris, France), a new noninvasive method to assess liver fibrosis, liver biopsy, and clinical data among HCV-positive renal transplant patients. Twenty-four HCV/RNA-positive patients with a previous liver biopsy were selected to undergo Fibroscan (transient elastography) and a clinical evaluation of liver function. Fibroscan values were expressed in kilopascals (kPa). As 2 patients were eliminated due to obesity or ascites, we analyzed 22 patients. Thirteen patients (59%) with fibrosis F0-F1 (METAVIR score) by biopsy and normal liver function showed a mean Fibroscan score of 5.2 kPa (range, 2.3-6.8 kPa). Three patients (13.6%) exhibited F2 by biopsy and normal liver function with a mean Fibroscan score of 8.2 kPa (range, 7.3-8.9 kPa). Three patients (13.6%) with F3 by biopsy and abnormal liver function showed a high mean Fibroscan score of 10.9 kPa (range, 10.5-11.6 kPa). The last 3 patients (13.6%) with F4 (cirrhosis) by biopsy and abnormal clinical data showed the highest mean Fibroscan value of 14.2 kPa (range, 8.9-18 kPa). In conclusion, among renal transplant patients with HCV the values of Fibroscan seem to correlate with the degree of fibrosis by biopsy and with clinical liver function. Therefore, Fibroscan may be useful to follow patients with LD. However, these results should be analyzed with caution due to the small number of cases and retrospective nature of the study.