High Acceptance Seen for Liver Stiffness Test With Routine Retina Scan in T2DM

For individuals with type 2 diabetes, examination with vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE) alongside retina scanning has a high acceptance rate, but false-positive findings seem to be common, according to a study published online Dec. 12 in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology.

Andrea Lindfors, M.D., from the Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm, and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional study in which people with type 2 diabetes referred to routine retina scanning were offered VCTE. Participants with a liver stiffness measurement of at least 8.0 kPa or those with unreliable measurements were referred for a secondary evaluation, which included follow-up VTCE.

Overall, 1,005 of 1,301 participants who were eligible for assessment with VCTE (77.2 percent) accepted assessment. The researchers found that 973 participants (96.8 percent) had complete measurements, and of these, 504 (51.8 percent) had controlled attenuation parameter values of 280 dB/m or higher, indicative of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease. Reliable liver stiffness measurements were available for 977 participants; 154 (15.8 percent) had values of at least 8.0 kPa and 49 (5.0 percent) had values higher than 12.0 kPa, suggestive of liver fibrosis and possible advanced fibrosis, respectively. Upon reassessment with a second VCTE after referral, 45.2 percent of 124 individuals had values less than 8.0 kPa. Overall, 7.4 and 2.9 percent of 1,005 participants had a final liver stiffness of at least 8.0 kPa and greater than 12.0 kPa, respectively.

"A high proportion of participants with an initial elevated liver stiffness measurement with VCTE did not have elevated liver stiffness measurements at the second visit," the authors write. "This risk must be considered if implementing this method into clinical routine."

One author disclosed ties to pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer and Gilead, which funded the study.

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