Frequently Asked Questions

Liver elastography is a non-invasive medical imaging technique used to measure the stiffness or elasticity of the liver. Increased liver stiffness is often an indicator of liver fibrosis (scarring). It provides a quantitative assessment, helping doctors understand the extent of liver damage without needing an invasive biopsy in many cases.

Common types include Transient Elastography (TE) like FibroScan®, Shear Wave Elastography (SWE) available on various ultrasound systems (e.g., GE LOGIQ, Siemens ACUSON, Philips ElastPQ, Samsung RS85), and Magnetic Resonance Elastography (MRE).

Elastography is performed to assess overall liver health, primarily to detect, stage, and monitor liver fibrosis. This scarring can result from various chronic liver diseases, including:

• Viral hepatitis (Hepatitis B or C)
• Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)
• Alcohol-related liver disease (ALD)
• Autoimmune hepatitis
• Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC)

It also helps in monitoring disease progression or the effectiveness of treatment over time.

kPa (kilopascals): This is the standard unit for measuring liver stiffness. A higher kPa value generally indicates more significant liver fibrosis. The interpretation of kPa values can vary slightly depending on the underlying liver condition and the specific elastography machine used.

CAP (Controlled Attenuation Parameter): Measured in dB/m (decibels per meter), CAP is a parameter specifically associated with FibroScan® (Echosens) devices. It quantifies liver steatosis (the amount of fat in the liver). Higher CAP values suggest a greater degree of fatty liver.

UAP (Ultrasound Attenuation Parameter) / Attenuation Imaging (ATI) / UGAP: These are terms for parameters used by various ultrasound systems (e.g., Mindray Hepatus, GE LOGIQ, Samsung, Siemens) to assess liver steatosis, often measured in dB/cm/MHz or similar units. Like CAP, higher values typically correlate with more liver fat.

(FibroAI considers machine-specific ranges for these parameters. For more detailed explanations of how these values relate to specific grades, please refer to our blog or the interpretation section of your FibroAI report.)

No, liver elastography is generally a painless and quick procedure. For techniques like FibroScan® or ultrasound-based SWE, a probe is placed on the skin over the liver area. You might feel a slight vibration or pressure. The examination itself usually takes only 5 to 15 minutes. No sedation or special preparation (other than possibly fasting for a few hours as instructed by your doctor) is typically required.

FibroAI processes the de-identified patient demographic information, clinical history, LFTs, and elastography measurements you input. Our AI system, which incorporates knowledge from established medical guidelines and a curated database of peer-reviewed research articles, analyzes these inputs. It correlates the elastography values with machine-specific grading criteria for fibrosis and steatosis. The AI then generates a narrative report that includes:

• An interpretation of the fibrosis stage and steatosis grade.
• Correlation of these findings with the provided clinical data.
• A concise overall impression.
• General, evidence-based recommendations for consideration by the treating physician.
• A list of key references consulted by the AI.

Absolutely not. FibroAI is an advanced informational and decision-support tool intended for educational and preliminary interpretation purposes. It is NOT a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment provided by a qualified healthcare professional.

The reports generated by FibroAI must be reviewed, interpreted, and validated by a doctor who can consider the patient's complete medical history, physical examination, and other relevant diagnostic tests. Clinical judgment is paramount.

FibroAI is designed to provide interpretations based on current medical knowledge, machine-specific cutoffs, and published research. We continuously strive to enhance its accuracy and relevance. However, like any AI system, it has limitations:

• The accuracy of the output is highly dependent on the accuracy and completeness of the input data.
• AI models may not capture every nuance of complex or rare clinical scenarios.
• The medical field is constantly evolving, and while we endeavor to keep our knowledge base updated, there might be a lag.

Therefore, clinical validation by a healthcare professional is indispensable.

We prioritize data privacy and security. Here's how we handle your information:

• Secure Transmission: All data submitted to and from our platform is encrypted using HTTPS (SSL/TLS) protocols.
• Data Minimization: We only request data necessary for generating the report. While patient name is requested for report labeling, we encourage users (especially institutions) to consider using de-identified patient codes if preferred for internal record-keeping, as long as the clinical data remains accurate.
• Report Storage: Generated DOCX reports are made available for download by the user. FibroAI does not permanently store the full content of individual patient reports on its servers beyond a temporary period required for successful delivery, unless specific arrangements are made for institutional accounts with dedicated storage solutions.
• Anonymized Data for Improvement: We may use fully anonymized and aggregated data (with no personally identifiable information) to improve the AI model's performance and for research purposes, strictly adhering to privacy best practices.

For comprehensive details, please review our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service .

FibroAI is designed for:

• Patients: To help them better understand their elastography results after discussing with their doctor.
• Clinicians (GPs, Hepatologists, Gastroenterologists): As a tool to aid in the rapid interpretation and reporting of elastography data, potentially streamlining workflow and providing evidence-based insights.
• Healthcare Institutions: For integrated elastography reporting and analysis workflows.

A high kPa (kilopascal) value generally indicates increased liver stiffness, which is a common sign of liver fibrosis (scarring). The higher the kPa value, the more significant the fibrosis is likely to be. However, the interpretation is not solely based on the number. Factors like the specific elastography machine used, the underlying cause of liver disease (e.g., NAFLD, viral hepatitis), and other clinical factors (like severe inflammation or congestion) can influence kPa values. FibroAI reports take machine type into account and provide context based on established cutoffs.

For example, a kPa of 8 might be considered F2 (significant fibrosis) in a patient with Hepatitis C, but the threshold could be different for NAFLD. Always discuss your specific kPa value with your doctor.

Fibrosis Stages/Grades (commonly F0, F1, F2, F3, F4, based on systems like METAVIR) classify the extent of liver scarring:

• F0: No fibrosis.
• F1: Mild fibrosis (minimal scarring).
• F2: Significant fibrosis (moderate scarring, portal fibrosis with few septa).
• F3: Severe fibrosis (extensive scarring, numerous septa without cirrhosis).
• F4: Cirrhosis (advanced, irreversible scarring with architectural distortion).

Steatosis Grades (commonly S0, S1, S2, S3) classify the amount of fat accumulation in the liver, typically as a percentage of liver cells affected:

• S0: No or minimal steatosis (less than 5-10% of hepatocytes affected, depending on criteria).
• S1: Mild steatosis (e.g., 5-33% or 10-33% hepatocytes affected).
• S2: Moderate steatosis (e.g., 34-66% hepatocytes affected).
• S3: Severe steatosis (e.g., more than 66% hepatocytes affected).

FibroAI reports provide these grades based on the input elastography values (kPa, CAP/UAP) and machine-specific reference ranges.

Yes, elastography results can change over time. Liver stiffness (fibrosis) and steatosis can improve with effective treatment of the underlying liver condition and lifestyle modifications (e.g., weight loss, alcohol cessation, viral suppression). Conversely, they can worsen if the liver disease progresses. This is why elastography is often used for monitoring disease progression and response to therapy.