Clinical evaluation of disease progression in chronic liver disease: towards an integrated system?

摘要

Progressive fibrosis and cirrhotic transformation of liver tissue are common pathological outcomes of most chronic liver diseases (CLD). Although the histopathological analysis of liver tissue still represents the reference standard for the evaluation of disease progression in CLD, a distinct change in clinical practice is currently occurring and the tendency to substitute liver biopsy with 'non-invasive methods' has grown to a level of complexity that needs clarification and guidance.The aim of this chapter is to provide an overview on the proposed non-invasive diagnostic methodologies and their possible integration with standard invasive procedures for the evaluation of disease progression, i.e. liver biopsy and the measurement of portal pressure.