“hospitals lack Fibroscan, Patients suffer”
Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) today said that Kashmir hospitals are without the facility of Fibroscan that is used to establish the presence of fibrosis and cirrhosis in patients with liver disease.
Terming Fibroscan as an essential diagnostic tool for liver disease patients President DAK Dr Nisar ul Hassan in a statement said that patients in hospitals suffer due to lack of Fibroscan.
It is unethical to keep hospitals especially tertiary care without Fibroscan as doctors nowadays cannot deal with liver disease patients without this breakthrough device.
Both ‘European and Asia-Pacific associations for the study of liver’ recommend Fibroscan rather than liver biopsy for evaluation of patients with liver disease, but because of non-availability of instrument in hospitals, doctors in Kashmir end up on a compromise in diagnosis.
Fibroscan has replaced liver biopsy which had important sample error issues, subjectivity in interpretation and real risk of complications like bleeding.
The gadget is a non-invasive technique used to estimate the degree of liver damage, monitor disease progression and predict survival in patients with liver disease.
The equipment is accurate, safe and results are instantaneous so clinicians can make decisions quickly.
There is epidemic of Hepatitis B and C in Kashmir and Fibroscan will guide prognosis and assist in establishing treatment priorities in these patients.
Kashmir is the capital of fatty liver disease patients and Fibroscan is the gold standard for detecting early fibrosis in them and providing an opportunity to change their life style and prevent further progression of disease.
In addition, this technology can be used to evaluate patients with breast cancer, prostate cancer and other diseases in which fibrosis play an important role.
