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Advances in diagnosis of chronic liver diseases in pediatric patients

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Abstract

Background

Chronic liver diseases (CLD) present important clinical problem in children with various age-dependent causes. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) with its increasing prevalence is a major problem with regard to its timely recognition and the need for long-term disease monitoring. At present, a perfect non-invasive method for the evaluation of liver fibrosis is not available.

Methods

A non-systematic literature search was performed to summarize the current knowledge about transient elastography (TE) with controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) in children with CLD. Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE, Google scholar, and The Cochrane Library databases were searched for relevant articles evaluating TE in the pediatric population.

Results

Normal values of liver stiffness measurements (LSM) according to the age are given, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of the method. The utility of TE in specific liver disease in pediatric population is summarized.

Conclusions

TE with CAP is a valuable non-invasive method for the liver-damage assessment. Clinical interpretation of TE results should be made in parallel with the assessment of the patient’s demographics, disease etiology, and essential laboratory parameters.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pediatric Clinic, UHC Rijeka, Istarska 43, 51 000, Rijeka, Croatia

    Lucija Ruzman

  2. Department of Gastroenterology, UHC Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia

    Ivana Mikolasevic & Sandra Milic

  3. Pediatric Clinic, Department of Gastroenterology, UHC Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia

    Kristina Baraba Dekanic & Goran Palcevski

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  1. Lucija Ruzman
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  2. Ivana Mikolasevic
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  3. Kristina Baraba Dekanic
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  4. Sandra Milic
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  5. Goran Palcevski
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All authors have contributed to conception, drafting, and revision of the article. The final version has been read and approved by all authors.

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Correspondence to Lucija Ruzman.

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Ruzman, L., Mikolasevic, I., Baraba Dekanic, K. et al. Advances in diagnosis of chronic liver diseases in pediatric patients. World J Pediatr 14, 541–547 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12519-018-0197-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12519-018-0197-8

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