Hi Malcolm,

Congratulations.  Me and the mrs. are so very happy for you.

These results will certainly be very interesting for a lot of us here, Malcolm, and I can understand why you want to have the biopsies and further tests done.

Thanks as always for sharing so much helpful and interesting information, we`re so lucky to have you with us! 

I wish you the very best of luck, you certainly deserve it!! 

Good Health Malcom , Best wishes with your test.    Michaele

All the best Malcolm! Like others here I too wish a healthier liver for you. Hopefully the results will be most favorable and least confusing. Thank you for doing this!!

Hi Malcolm,

Hope you have a good result and do not feel the pokes; you deserve a pass here.  

Show that liver who is boss and best of luck.

Hi Malcom,

The very best of luck and great results. Thanks for sharing all your wisdom and experience here. This will become a real interesting topic. Doctors and reports and publications can only tell us what they want to say at the time. I very hard to understand.  You been here in the trenches with us this journey would not be the same without you and all the other gurus here We're praying most of all for you to have good news and a healthier liver

BillS  

Thanks for the interest, guys.

Tig: My Lab doesn't do FibroTest (FibroSure) any more. They have offered me an ELF (Enhanced Liver Fibrosis) Test (link to my Lab.)

http://www.snp.com.au/media/370775/enhanced_liver_fibrosis_score_elf_score.pdf

This is fairly new, and uses an algorithm of serum markers. If you're interested, these are Hyaluronic Acid (HA), the amino-terminal propeptide of type 3 pro-collagen (PIIINP), tissue inhibitor of metallo-proteinase-1 (TIMP-1) and age. Sorry.  It may be interesting to see where it fits in.

Matt: I hope to have 4 biopsies- liver segments 5,6,7 and 8, with 2 cores from each site. I have access to my pathology slides from 1998, and these will be compared. The histological changes are usually the same in the R and L liver lobes. The caudate lobe may be less affected, but that's impossible to biopsy.

I'll be having an MRI after the biopsy to check for bleeding, and luckily the machine at Greenslopes Hospital can do MT Elastography. I now expect to be confused.

Fingers and Toes crossed Malcom ... another vote for F2-3 A0-1 ... very good luck to you!!

Wishing you well,

Linux

Since you'll be there, why not have them draw a Fibro Test (Sure)? That would be a very interesting comparison. 

Hey Malcolm

Wow! Sounds like a science experiment by a doctor. LOL Not surprised with your inquiring mind. Maybe you should nave been a HCV researcher, of course you have been been for over 25 years.

I would guess if your biopsy location is the same area as a single Fibroscan that should tell the tale, but won't the different lobes of the liver will have different amount of cirrhosis? I thought that some lobes have more or less scaring.

Hey while your there ask your Hepatologist about NO / Nitric oxide in liver disease. Been reading about if increasing NO in body, would be friendly to a cirrhotic liver or foe?

matt   

YES! Really glad you are doing this. They really should be following up with SVRs to track improvement. And doing both Fibroscan and biopsy is ideal to figure this crap out. THANK YOU. THANK YOU Malcolm, you rock!

Get on those avacado's Malcolm and good luck to you! I know your results will astound us all.

Keeping fingers crossed! Lets put goal to F2-F3 A0-A1 a? :) You sure there is need for biosy besdie Fibroscan+Fibrotest? I mean, i do not have anything against liver poking, but maybe it's time to perm move to non invasive tech at this stage?

cheers!

Good morning Malcom.

The help and knowledge you have been willing to share here can only come from a kind and gentle soul. Your outcome is in the hands of God and to Him I pray all will be as or better than hoped for.

Much Respect!

JimmyK

Keeping you in my thoughts and prayers for smooth sailing

Malcom, your a pioneer ! Thanks for sharing everything with us. Looking forward to your results.  RC

 Wow, that will give you peace of mind and also be very educational to us all about regression. I hope the results do show F3-4 with A0-1 or better. That would sure make me happy and I know it will you. Good luck Malcolm!

It will be interesting to see where you stand after 4 years. I appreciate that you're willing to share your information. This will be a good comparison of Fibroscan versus Biopsy. I know you'll come away with some interesting news.  Good luck Malcolm, I'll keep my fingers crossed for some significant regression! 

Hi all,

My Hepatologist starts long-service leave on 15th February, so I have convinced him to do my liver biopsy next week. I'll be EOT+4 years. He's also agreed to a repeat FibroScan the day before. Hopefully this will will shed some light on this mystical subject. I'm hoping for F3-4 with A0-1. Cheers.