COMPARISON OF ELASTOGRAPHY AND LIVER BIOPSY IN THE ASSESSMENT OF LIVER FIBROSIS STAGE

Liver fibrosis is a progressive pathological process that develops as a result of chronic liver injury and may lead to cirrhosis and liver failure. Accurate assessment of fibrosis stage is essential for diagnosis, treatment planning, and prognosis. Liver biopsy has traditionally been considered the gold standard for evaluating hepatic fibrosis; however, it is an invasive procedure associated with pain, bleeding risk, sampling error, and limited patient acceptance. In recent years, elastography has become widely used as a non-invasive method for assessing liver stiffness and estimating fibrosis stage. This article compares elastography and liver biopsy in the evaluation of liver fibrosis, focusing on their diagnostic value, advantages, limitations, and clinical applicability. The analysis shows that elastography is a safe, repeatable, and effective method for monitoring liver fibrosis, while biopsy remains important in complex diagnostic cases requiring histological confirmation.