Improvement of Liver Fibrosis after Long-Term Antiviral Therapy Assessed by Fibroscan in Chronic Hepatitis B Patients With Advanced Fibrosis

OBJECTIVES: Performing repeated liver biopsies to assess the improvement of liver fibrosis is impractical. The purpose of this prospective cohort study was to assess the improvement of liver fibrosis during antiviral treatment by serial liver stiffness (LS) measurement using Fibroscan in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with advanced fibrosis. METHODS: Nucleos(t)ide analog-naive CHB patients with advanced fibrosis in histological findings (stage >= F3), high viral load (hepatitis B virus DNA >= 2,000 IU/ml), and normal liver enzyme levels (<2xupper normal limit) before starting antiviral treatment were included in this study. LS measurement was performed at baseline and annually for 5 years during antiviral treatment. Five-year fibrosis improvement was defined as LS value < 7.2 kPa (