Fibroscan, medically termed Vibration-Controlled Transient Elastography (VCTE), is a specialized, non-invasive imaging technology used to measure liver stiffness and quantify fat accumulation in the liver. It has largely replaced invasive liver biopsies for diagnosing and monitoring chronic liver conditions, such as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD/NAFLD), hepatitis B and C, and alcoholic liver disease.

During the procedure, a specialized ultrasound probe is placed against the skin over the right upper abdomen. The probe emits a mild mechanical pulse (vibration) that sends a low-frequency shear wave traveling through the liver tissue. The built-in ultrasound system then tracks the speed of this wave. Because sound and physical waves travel faster through stiff, scarred material than through soft, pliable tissue, the wave's velocity directly corresponds to tissue density.

The device generates two distinct quantitative metrics:

Fibroscan is highly valued because it takes less than 10 minutes, is completely painless, requires zero sedation, and evaluates a tissue volume 100 times larger than a needle biopsy sample.