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Medical Author:

David C. Wolf, M.D., FACP, FACG, AGAF

Medical Editor:

Jay W. Marks, MD

Jay W. Marks, MD

Jay W. Marks, MD, is a board-certified internist and gastroenterologist. He graduated from Yale University School of Medicine and trained in internal medicine and gastroenterology at UCLA/Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

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In some instances, abdominal imaging studies can help make a diagnosis. As an example, blood tests might suggest that a patient is suffering from iron overload related to hereditary hemochromatosis. Specially-tailored MRI scans can help determine whether or not iron overload is truly present without the need for a liver biopsy.

Increasingly, non-invasive approaches are being used to assess the severity of chronic hepatitis C. Commercially available blood tests like Hepascore® and FibroSURE® assess blood levels of hyaluronic acid and other chemicals to help estimate the degree of liver inflammation and fibrosis (i.e. scarring) in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Fibroelastography utilizes a specially-designed ultrasound unit to non-invasively assess the degree of liver fibrosis is patients with chronic hepatitis C. It remains to be determined whether fibroelastography will provide as accurate an assessment of liver fibrosis in other disease states (for example, chronic hepatitis B or alcoholic liver disease) as in chronic hepatitis C. Fibroelastography is undergoing testing in the United States and is not widely available at this time.

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Fatty Liver Disease Fatty liver disease (NASH, NAFLD, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and nonalcoholic related steatohepatitis) is a disease where by there is an increased accumul...learn more >>

Hemochromatosis (Iron Overload) Hereditary hemochromatosis (HH, iron overload) is a genetic disorder in which excess iron is retained in the body. Hemochromatosis may affect several organs in ...learn more >>

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