there are issues with accuracy even with the gold standard biopsy, and more issues with each type of scan. Half the issue is the human element..who is reading it and how good are they at interpretting what they see.
The best method, better than biopsy, is visual inspection.
Unfortunately you have to be cut open for this to happen unless you are lucky like me and have your gallbladder going belly up during tx.
This is how we ended up with a stage 4 diagnosis as the visual inspection showed all the earmarks of stage 4 that the biopsy had not detected.
However, I would not recommend anybody get carved on just to get an accurate stage or grading.
I would say everything I've read suggests one can come back fairly nicely even from stage 3...but once the rock hard tendon-like scar tissue globs of stage 4 have formed they tend to remain, even if the still replacable tissue around them improves. EVEN within cirrhosis there is a wide range of degrees of damage however, so in stage 4 grade 1 there's more hope one could live a long time if the virus and fibrosis is halted.
Now if anyone has a study refuting those findings I'd be happy to celebrate those facts indeed.
In fact, lets hope that there will be a way to reduce fibrosis and reverse even stage 4 soon, and with ongoing studys there soon may be. Stem cell grafts and medications are being heavily researched now.
MY GUESS however, is that your diagnosis staging and grading were off. Having them be off an entire stage (or 2 if real incompetance is at work) is a very common occurance.
In any case, I'm delighted to hear your liver is all better Grandma,,, however it happened!!
Happy t-day.
mb
Amen and pass the mashed potatoes!!!
Great doctor you have there lady! How nice that she would get that info to you immediately, so you didn't have to worry over the holiday.
Give thanks!
Well, I just got back from a lengthy MRI and there was a message on my voice mail from my Dr. My heart dropped because she usually only calls if there's bad news to report and being I had only left the hospital 2 hours prior, I expected the worst.
Thankfully, THIS time she had good news to report...NO evidence of lesions/tumors, NO ascities, but the MRI did support the cirrhosis dx as per bx. What that evidence is, I can't be sure because the office was already closed for the day, but maybe the MRI does indeed indicate cirrhosis...or lack of it, as in GrandmaBRZ's case.
Pam
That is such encouraging news!! Especially as a stage 4-er soon to start tx. I'm scheduled for an MRI on Wednesday and I'll see if it correlates with my compensated cirrhosis dx in the hopes that there will be improvement somewhere down the line.
Thanks for that ray of hope...and congratulations on finishing your 72 weeks. What a trooper!
Pam
Well, MRI can't see cirrhosis.
MRI can just see 'evidence' of cirrhosis, such as ascites, fluid, lesions, and maybe a few other things that show cirrhosis is present.
Lots of HCV cirrhosis patients have no 'evidence' yet...but cirrhosis is still surely there.
Thats why bx is the gold standard for liver damage.
apache
Dont believe that you can get an extremely definitive diagnosis for cirhossis without a biopsy. But they should be able to pick up the scarring with an MRI - count yourself lucky and say thanks...... stranger things have happenned.
Grandma: Is this a mracle or a mistake???
------------------
Could be neither as studies suggest that cirrhosis can be reversed with successful treatment.
That said, not sure how accurate an MRI is for dx cirrhosis. Other available indicators such as platelet count, spleen size and pallatability can also help with a reversal diagnosis but liver biopsy would be more definitive and Fibroscan running close behind.
Had a previous MRI stated there were signs of cirrhosis? Or are you working from a previous biopsy.
In any event, the report has to be viewed in a positive light. So congratulations.
-- Jim