Extrahepatic Cholestasis Increases Liver Stiffness (Fibroscan®) Irrespective of Fibrosis

Aims: Transient elastography [Fibroscan (FS)] is a novel non-invasive tool to assess liver fibrosis/cirrhosis. However, it remains to be determined if other liver diseases such as extrahepatic cholestasis interfere with fibrosis assessment since liver stiffness is indirectly measured by the propagation velocity of an ultrasound wave within the liver. Methods and Results: In this study we measured liver stiffness immediately before ERCP and 3 to 12 days after successful biliary drainage in patients with extrahepatic cholestasis due to benign or malignant bile duct obstruction. Initially elevated liver stiffness d…