FibroScan®
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the most common chronic liver disease in the United States and in other industrialized nations, has increased in prevalence and severity along with the rise in obesity and metabolic syndrome1. One quarter of the global population is estimated to have NAFLD2 and the incidence of its more severe from, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), is projected to increase by up to 56% in the next 10 years. NAFLD now represents a leading indication for liver transplantation in the United States, bringing with it a growing clinical and economic burden that highlights the need for a streamlined approach to prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the disease.
____
The Role of FibroScan® in the Multi-Modal Management of Patients with Chronic Liver Disease
Dr. Tejas Joshi, Director of Liver Diseases and Assistant Professor at Marshall University School of Medicine in Huntington, WV joins eHealth Radio and the Liver Health and Health News Channels.
Listen to interview with host Eric Michaels and guest Dr. Tejas Joshi discuss the following:
- Could you give an overview of what FibroScan is, and discuss why you decided to implement this into your practice?
- How do you feel that the use of FibroScan has benefitted your practice and your unique patient population?
- We’ve covered considerable benefits of this tool for patients. What is the value of FibroScan to the provider?
- Which different practitioners could be involved in the liver management algorithm?
- What advice would you give to those practitioners interested in implementing FibroScan into their practice?
>> Listen to the full interview <<
____
Fatty Liver Disease in Children: Prevalence, Evaluation, & Essential Tools
Dr. Alisha Mavis, a Pediatric Hepatologist at Duke University where she cares for pediatric patients with liver disease joins eHealth Radio and the Children’s Health & Health News Channels.
>> Listen to the full interview <<
____
Helping Endocrinologists Halt or Reverse Liver Disease
Dr. Martin M. Grajower, M.D., FACP, FACE, a clinical professor of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, discusses innovations that are helping providers and patients battle the “silent epidemic” of fatty liver disease (FLD) in conjunction with the rise of obesity in the United States and around the world. He also discusses at what point endocrinologists should screen for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in patients with Type 2 diabetes and explains how endocrinologists can help their patients who are at risk for liver disease by using FibroScan®, Echosens’ non-invasive diagnostic device used to measure and monitor liver scarring or fibrosis. FibroScan® is especially helpful for showing patients how lifestyle changes, such as diet and exercise, can impact their liver health.
>> Listen to the full interview <<
____
Educating Physicians and Patients
Dr. Darryn Richard Potosky, M.D., gastroenterologist and hepatologist, discusses innovations that are helping providers and patients battle the “silent epidemic” of fatty liver disease (FLD) in conjunction with the rise of obesity in the United States and around the world. He also discusses lifestyle changes that can halt or reverse liver disease and how FibroScan®, Echosens’ non-invasive diagnostic device used to measure liver scarring or fibrosis, helps providers gain insight into a patient’s liver health and the effectiveness of lifestyle changes over time.
>> Listen to the full interview <<
____
Clinical Data Perspective
Céline Fournier, Ph.D., medical director, Echosens, discusses the importance of screening liver stiffness and fat at point of care, its impact on clinical research, cost-savings benefits for payers and employers and the role FibroScan® will play in supporting clinical practice patient management when fibrotic NASH drugs become available.
>> Listen to the full interview <<
____
Research Perspective
Dr. Juan Pablo Frias, M.D., medical director, National Research Institute, discusses how FibroScan® impacts his clinical research programs, the role FibroScan® plays for groups looking to get into this research and the role of this technology for patient populations. This tool is particularly important for Hispanic communities because many are at high risk for both NAFLD and its more severe form, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). He also discusses the future of FibroScan® in terms of patient management and improving outcomes.
>> Listen to the full interview <<
____
Specialist Perspective
Dr. Stephen A. Harrison, gastroenterologist and hepatologist, discusses the ongoing need for assessing liver stiffness and fat as part of a liver health assessment – and why the detection of fatty liver disease remains such a pressing challenge for Americans, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also discusses how FibroScan®, Echosens’ non-invasive diagnostic device used to measure liver scarring or fibrosis, ties into Harrison’s clinical workflow, as well as the positive impact of the FibroScan®-based Scores Fast™, patient success stories, raising awareness about NAFLD and the future of research in this area.
>> Listen to the full interview <<
____
Corporate Perspective
Jon Gingrich, the CEO of Echosens North America, discusses how Echosens is helping to fight the liver disease epidemic, as well as Echosens’ 2021 corporate initiatives and focus on halting the progression of NAFLD, fibrosis and cirrhosis—building on progress made in 2020. He also discusses how Echosens enables payers and employers to better understand the value of FibroScan®, as well as opportunities to improve liver health in the post-pandemic world.
>> Listen to the full interview <<
____
Hospital System Perspective
Douglas Dieterich, M.D., director of the Institute for Liver Medicine, Mount Sinai Health System, and professor of medicine for the Division of Liver Disease, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, discusses the importance of ongoing assessment of liver stiffness and fat as part of a liver health assessment, the role FibroScan® plays in the diagnoses of chronic liver diseases and cirrhosis, as well as how this technology in hospital settings can improve outcomes and reduce costs in the assessment of liver disease.
>> Listen to the full interview <<
____
Military Veteran Perspective
Dustin Lee, CEO, Fidelis Sustainability Distribution, LLC, and the USMC Scout Sniper Veteran Company principal, discusses the role FibroScan® technology has played in curing hepatitis C virus (HCV) among the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) patient population, as well as the challenges of treating liver disease among veterans, the connection between HCV and NAFLD and why VA Hospitals are investing in FibroScan® in their battle against liver disease.
>> Listen to the full interview <<
_______
References
1. Ando, Y. and Jou, J.H. (2021), Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Recent Guideline Updates. Clinical Liver Disease, 17: 23-28. https://doi.org/10.1002/cld.1045
2. Huang, D.Q., El-Serag, H.B. & Loomba, R. Global epidemiology of NAFLD-related HCC: trends, predictions, risk factors and prevention. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 18, 223–238 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41575-020-00381-6
