Noninvasive assessment of liver fibrosis with aspartate transaminase to platelet ratio index (APRI)

In chronic liver diseases, the management of patients must include a determination of the stage of fibrosis (to select specific therapies), a prognosis, the prevention of complications, and the surveillance of the disease. over the past several years, significant progress has been made in improving noninvasive methods of assessing liver fibrosis. the risks of liver biopsy and the potential for sampling errors with regard to fibrosis staging support the use of noninvasive modalities including serum fibrosis markers or scores and elastography. the first are classified as direct (representing components of the extracellular matrix) or indirect (reflecting hepatic inflammation and function) and included in panels for clinical use.