Blood Tests to Diagnose Fibrosis or Cirrhosis in Patients With Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection
Authors: Thierry Poynard, Vlad Ratziu, Mona Munteanu
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2013)

LettersSeptember 3, 2013Blood Tests to Diagnose Fibrosis or Cirrhosis in Patients With Chronic Hepatitis C Virus InfectionThierry Poynard, MD, PhD, Vlad Ratziu, MD, PhD, and Mona Munteanu, MDThierry Poynard, MD, PhDFrom Assistance Publique Hopitaux de Paris, University Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France; and BioPredictive, Paris, France.Search for more papers by this author, Vlad Ratziu, MD, PhDFrom Assistance Publique Hopitaux de Paris, University Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France; and BioPredictive, Paris, France.Search for more papers by this author, and Mona Munteanu, MDFrom Assistance Publique Hopitaux de Paris, University Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France; and BioPredictive, Paris, France.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-159-5-201309030-00019 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:We read with great interest Chou and Wasson's review (1), which updates an 11-year-old, high-quality review (2) on the same topic. Despite discussing the limitations of using biopsy as a perfect reference, Chou and Wasson missed the opportunity to review the evidence-based data on prognostic performance of blood tests. In the absence of a true gold standard, another reliable method to compare test performance in the diagnosis of cirrhosis is to use morbidity and mortality rates as the reference (3). Using this method, FibroTest had a greater 5-year prognostic value than the AST–platelet ratio index (APRI) (Table) ...References1. Chou R and Wasson N. Blood tests to diagnose fibrosis or cirrhosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection: a systematic review. Ann Intern Med. 2013;158:807-20 LinkGoogle Scholar2. Gebo KA, Herlong HF, Torbenson MS, Jenckes MW, Chander G, Ghanem KG, et al. Role of liver biopsy in management of chronic hepatitis C: a systematic review. Hepatology. 2002;36:S161-72. [PMID: 12407590] MedlineGoogle Scholar3. Poynard T, Ngo Y, Perazzo H, Munteanu M, Lebray P, Moussalli J, et al. Prognostic value of liver fibrosis biomarkers: a meta-analysis. Gastroenterol Hepatol (N Y). 2011;7:445-54. [PMID: 22298979] MedlineGoogle Scholar4. Ngo Y, Munteanu M, Messous D, Charlotte F, Imbert-Bismut F, Thabut D, et al. A prospective analysis of the prognostic value of biomarkers (FibroTest) in patients with chronic hepatitis C. Clin Chem. 2006;52:1887-96. [PMID: 16931569] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Vergniol J, Foucher J, Terrebonne E, Bernard PH, le Bail B, Merrouche W, et al. Noninvasive tests for fibrosis and liver stiffness predict 5-year outcomes of patients with chronic hepatitis C. Gastroenterology. 2011;140:1970-9. [PMID: 21376047] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Assistance Publique Hopitaux de Paris, University Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France; and BioPredictive, Paris, France.Disclosures: Dr. Poynard: Other: capital interest in BioPredictive; Patents (issued): FibroTest/FibroSure. Dr. Ratziu: None disclosed. Dr. Munteau: Other: employee of BioPredictive. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoBlood Tests to Diagnose Fibrosis or Cirrhosis in Patients With Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection Roger Chou and Ngoc Wasson Blood Tests to Diagnose Fibrosis or Cirrhosis in Patients With Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection Paul Calès , Victor de Ledinghen , and Jérôme Guéchot Blood Tests to Diagnose Fibrosis or Cirrhosis in Patients With Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection Roger Chou and Ngoc Wasson Metrics September 3, 2013Volume 159, Issue 5Page: 370-371KeywordsBiopsyChronic hepatitis CCirrhosisDeath ratesFibrosisHematologic testsLiverLiver fibrosisMorbidityStiffness ePublished: 3 September 2013 Issue Published: September 3, 2013 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2013 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...