Comparison of transient elastography, 13C-Methacetin meta-bolism, and liver biopsy for evaluation of fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C infection

Background: Stable isotope breath tests have been developed for the non-invasive assessment of microsomal liver function in patients with chronic liver disease. Among different tests, the 13C-methacetin breath test (MBT) is suitable for the assessment of hepatic functional reserve. Aims: To assess prospectively the diagnostic performance of fibrosis detection by MBT in patients with chronic hepatitis C infection using validated molecular correlation spectroscopy with a continuous, online, automatic breath collection and analysis system (APT 2007) and to compare MBT results with transient elastography. Methods: T…