FibroMeter scores are predictive noninvasive markers of advanced and significant liver fibrosis in patients with chronic viral hepatitis or metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease

Pinelopi Arvaniti; George Giannoulis; Vasiliki Lygoura; Nikolaos K. Gatselis; Stella Gabeta; Eirini Rigopoulou; George K. Koukoulis; Kalliopi Zachou; George N. Dalekos

Authors Pinelopi Arvaniti, George Giannoulis, Vasiliki Lygoura, Nikolaos K. Gatselis, Stella Gabeta, Eirini Rigopoulou, George K. Koukoulis, Kalliopi Zachou, George N. Dalekos.

Abstract

Background FibroMeter and FibroMeter vibration-controlled transient elastography (FibroMeter VCTE) were assessed in a Greek cohort of patients with chronic viral hepatitis (CVH) B and C or metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) to evaluate their accuracy in predicting advanced liver fibrosis against other well-validated noninvasive markers.

Methods Group 1: n=83 CVH and group 2: n=38 MASLD patients underwent liver biopsy and transient elastography (TE) on the same day as sera collection. FibroMeter scores APRI and FIB-4 were calculated in all 121 patients, while MASLD fibrosis score (MFS) was also calculated in group 2.

Results In CVH, FibroMeter VCTE performed equivalently to TE and better than the other markers in predicting advanced (≥F3) and significant (≥F2) fibrosis (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC] 0.887, P<0.001 for F3; AUC 0.766 P<0.001 for F2). FibroMeter Virus (cutoff 0.61) had lower sensitivity (20%) but performed equivalently to APRI and FIB-4. In MASLD, all markers but APRI performed equivalently in predicting advanced fibrosis. FibroMeter VCTE >0.2154 had the same sensitivity (100%) and specificity (81%) as TE (cutoff >7.1 kPa). FibroMeter MASLD >0.25 performed equivalently to MFS and FIB4, but with higher specificity (100%). Both FibroMeter and FibroMeter VCTE correlated with liver histology but not with liver enzymes.

Conclusions FibroMeter VCTE predicts accurately advanced fibrosis in CVH and MASLD, irrespectively of transaminase levels. FibroMeter Virus can be applied only as an alternative marker in CVH, while FibroMeter MASLD performs equally to TE and calculated scores (MFS, FIB-4) in predicting advanced fibrosis in MASLD patients.

Keywords FibroMeter, FibroMeter vibration-controlled transient elastography, chronic viral hepatitis, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, liver fibrosis

Ann Gastroenterol 2023; 36 (6): 661-669