Your Liver Deserves Attention Too
When we think about health check-ups, we often focus on heart, sugar levels, or blood pressure. But what about your liver? This vital organ works silently 24/7, filtering toxins, producing essential proteins, and storing energy. By the time liver problems show symptoms, significant damage may have already occurred.
The good news? Modern medical technology now allows us to check liver health without any pain or surgery. Let us introduce you to Liver Elastography, also known as FibroScan – a revolutionary diagnostic tool now available at Janatha Diagnostics, Chemmad.
What is Liver Elastography?
Think of it as an ultrasound scan, but instead of just taking pictures, it measures how stiff or soft your liver is. Just like checking the ripeness of a mango by gently pressing it, FibroScan checks your liver’s condition by measuring its stiffness. In simple terms, a healthy liver is soft and elastic, while a damaged liver becomes stiff and hard. FibroScan measures this stiffness painlessly and also measures fat accumulation in your liver, something very common in our modern lifestyle.
Why is This Important?
Many Indians today face liver-related health issues due to fatty liver disease, hepatitis B and C, alcohol consumption, medication side effects, and metabolic disorders. Fatty liver disease is especially common among those with diabetes, obesity, or sedentary lifestyle. Hepatitis B and C are viral infections that can silently damage the liver over years. Regular drinking can lead to liver cirrhosis, and long-term medicines can sometimes affect liver function.
The problem is that liver damage happens silently. You may feel perfectly fine until 70-80% of your liver is damaged. By the time symptoms like jaundice, swelling in legs, or fatigue appear, treatment becomes very difficult and expensive.
How Does FibroScan Work?
Previously, doctors had to do a liver biopsy, where they insert a needle into your liver to take a small tissue sample. This was painful and uncomfortable, required hospital admission, had risks of bleeding or infection, and was expensive and time-consuming. Many patients would avoid it due to fear of the procedure.
But now with FibroScan, everything has changed. It’s just like a normal ultrasound scan. A small probe is placed on your right side, over the liver area. The machine sends gentle vibrations through the liver and measures how these vibrations travel. The entire process takes only 10-15 minutes, is completely painless, requires no needles or incisions, and results are available immediately. You can walk in, get tested, and go back home or office right away.
What Does the Test Measure?
The FibroScan measures two important things about your liver. First is liver stiffness, which tells us about fibrosis or scarring in the liver. This helps detect cirrhosis early and monitor disease progression over time. Second is fat content measured through something called CAP score, which measures how much fat has accumulated in your liver, helps diagnose fatty liver disease, and tracks improvement when you make lifestyle changes like diet and exercise.
Who Should Get a FibroScan?
You should consider this test if you have diabetes or high sugar levels, obesity or are overweight, high cholesterol or triglycerides, history of Hepatitis B or C, regular alcohol consumption habit, family history of liver disease, or if your recent blood tests showed abnormal liver function. Also, if any previous ultrasound detected fatty liver, if you’re taking long-term medications for any condition, or experiencing unexplained fatigue or weakness, this test can give you important information.
Even if you feel perfectly healthy, regular monitoring after age 40 is advisable, especially if you have lifestyle-related risk factors. Remember, prevention is always better than cure, and early detection can save you from serious complications later.
Benefits of FibroScan at Janatha Diagnostics
For patients, the biggest benefit is that there’s no pain, no needles, and no need for hospital stay. You get quick results within minutes, and it’s safe enough to be repeated multiple times to monitor your progress. It’s much more affordable compared to traditional biopsy, and it can even be done during pregnancy, unlike some other liver tests.
For doctors, FibroScan provides accurate assessment of liver condition, helps them decide the best treatment plans for patients, allows them to monitor how well the treatment is working, and enables early detection of any complications that might develop.
Why choose Janatha Diagnostics for your FibroScan? We use advanced FibroScan technology with experienced radiologists and technicians who have years of expertise. Our facility is NABL accredited, and we’ve been serving the Malappuram region since 1973, trusted by lakhs of patients over five decades. The test is now available at both our Chemmad and Kondotty centres for your convenience.
What to Expect During Your Visit
Before coming for the test, make sure you come on empty stomach, fasting for at least 3-4 hours. Wear comfortable, loose clothing, and bring any previous medical reports if you have them. This helps the doctor understand your medical history better.
During the test, you’ll simply lie down on your back on the examination table. The technician will apply some gel on your right side, just like in a normal ultrasound. The probe will be placed gently on your skin, and you’ll feel mild vibrations, similar to a mobile phone vibrating in your pocket. Just breathe normally and relax. The whole thing is completely painless.
After the test, your results are available immediately. The doctor will sit with you and explain what your scores mean in simple terms. There’s no recovery time needed at all. You can resume all your normal activities right away, go back to work, drive home, eat normally – there are no restrictions whatsoever.
Understanding Your Results
The doctor will explain your scores in detail during the consultation, but here’s a simple guide to help you understand. The liver stiffness score ranges from F0 to F4. F0 and F1 indicate normal or minimal scarring, which is good news. F2 means moderate scarring, which needs attention and lifestyle changes. F3 indicates severe scarring, requiring medical treatment. F4 means cirrhosis, which is advanced scarring that needs immediate medical attention and regular monitoring.
The fat content or CAP score also has ranges from S0 to S3. S0 means you have no fatty liver, which is excellent. S1 indicates mild fatty liver, which can usually be reversed with diet and exercise. S2 means moderate fatty liver, requiring definite lifestyle changes and possibly medication. S3 indicates severe fatty liver, which needs comprehensive treatment and close monitoring.
Don’t worry if your scores are high. Early detection is actually good news because it means you’ve caught the problem in time. Many liver conditions can be reversed or well-managed with proper diet, regular exercise, weight loss, and appropriate medical care under your doctor’s guidance.
Take Action Today
Your liver is one of the few organs in your body that can actually regenerate and heal itself, but only if you catch problems early enough. FibroScan gives you that precious opportunity to know exactly what’s happening inside your body before it’s too late.
Remember that liver disease is largely preventable and manageable when detected early. A simple 15-minute test today could save you from years of complications, expensive treatments, and suffering tomorrow. Don’t wait for symptoms to appear. Be proactive about your liver health.
Book Your FibroScan at Janatha Diagnostics
At our Chemmad Centre, you can reach us at 0494-2460494. We’re located at Chemmad, P.O. Thirurangadi, Malappuram. Our Kondotty Centre can be reached at 8943 77 2001. For any email enquiries, write to us at info@janathadiagnostics.com.
Questions about the test? Feel free to call us or visit our centre. Our expert staff will guide you through the entire process, answer all your queries, and make sure you’re completely comfortable and informed.
Common Questions About FibroScan
Many people ask us if FibroScan is safe. The answer is absolutely yes. It uses ultrasound technology with no radiation at all, making it completely safe even if you need to repeat the test multiple times for monitoring.
The actual scan takes only 10-15 minutes. If you include registration and result consultation with the doctor, you should plan for about 30-45 minutes in total.
Regarding cost, FibroScan is much more affordable than a traditional liver biopsy and provides comprehensive information about both fibrosis and fat content. Contact our centres for current pricing details.
Diabetic patients often ask if they can take this test. Not only can they take it, but they should definitely get it done regularly because diabetic patients are at higher risk for developing fatty liver disease.
Many insurance companies cover FibroScan when it’s prescribed by a doctor as medically necessary. Check with your insurance provider about coverage and claim procedures.
How often should you repeat the test? This depends on your individual condition and your doctor’s advice. Generally, for monitoring purposes, the test is repeated every 6-12 months to track progress and response to treatment.
At Janatha Diagnostics, we believe in making advanced healthcare accessible to everyone. With over 50 years of trust in the Malappuram region, we continue to bring the latest medical technology to your doorstep. Your health is our priority, and we’re here to serve you with the best diagnostic services.
Stay healthy, stay informed!
Disclaimer: This blog is for educational purposes only. Always consult your doctor for personalized medical advice. FibroScan results should be interpreted by qualified medical professionals along with other clinical findings.