Taking a Liver Scan
LiverScan Australia is the only private clinic in Melbourne with a FIBROSCAN® 502 TOUCH device. The Fibroscan, or LiverScan as it’s commonly known, is a painless procedure similar to an ultrasound that allows doctors to determine whether disease such as hepatitis has damaged the liver. In the past, patients would need an invasive, often painful, liver biopsy to detect liver damage.
How to make an appointment
If your doctor has referred you for a LiverScan, please call our rooms on (03) 9372 0372 to book an appointment. Appointments are generally available within a week of calling. Please bring the referral from your GP to your appointment.
What to expect at your appointment
Before your LiverScan, it’s important that you do not eat or drink for 2 hours.
After arriving at the Centre, our nurse will show you to the LiverScan room. Lying on your back, the nurse will place the ultrasound probe in a precise location on your right hand side (right upper abdominal area). You may feel a slight vibration but you will not feel any pain or discomfort during the scan, which takes between 10 and 30 minutes.
A number of readings will be taken during the scan to achieve two scores. The first score will tell your doctor how much scarring (fibrosis) is in your liver. And the second score measures the fat (steatosis) in the liver.
Your results will be available immediately after the scan. They will help your doctor to understand more about the health of your liver, if there is any disease, and what, if any, further treatment is required.
How does the LiverScan work?
The LiverScan generates a vibration wave, which travels from the probe through the liver. The speed at which the wave travels varies depending on the level of scarring in the liver. The faster the wave travels through the liver, the more serious the scarring.
The results can help your doctor to determine if your liver is damaged and to what extent it is damaged. Doctors can also use the results to monitor disease progression or improvement.
The Liver
The liver is one of the most important and largest organs in our body. We can’t live without it. Among its many jobs is to clear harmful toxins from our blood including waste products and drugs, make essential proteins, aid digestion, store and supply vitamins, minerals and iron to cells.
Often, unknowingly, we are damaging our liver by making poor lifestyle choices and by being overweight. Our liver relies on us to keep it healthy so it can work properly. The best way to look after our liver is to maintain a healthy weight through a balanced diet, limited alcohol intake and exercise that you enjoy.
Liver disease can be silent. Symptoms often don’t show until the disease is quite advanced. A LiverScan can help your doctor to see what we can’t and understand what is happening inside your liver.