Fibroscans

Having a fibroscan is one of the most important things you can do to assess the health of your liver. If the scan shows there is liver damage, we can recommend other ways to reduce further damage and improve your liver health. 

What does it involve? 

You will lie on your back, with your right arm raised above your head. A probe will be placed on your skin where the liver is located. The probe generates a sound wave that measures liver stiffness. The degree of stiffness determines if liver damage is present. More stiffness indicates more damage.

What do the results mean?

You will be provided with one of the following results:

• Normal liver/no fibrosis: you have a healthy liver with no scarring.

• Mild fibrosis: You have a small amount of scarring on the liver.

• Moderate fibrosis: You have a fair amount of scarring on the liver.

• Severe fibrosis: You have a large amount of scarring on the liver. We will refer you to hospital for further review and tests. We recommend you act to reduce future damage to your liver.

• Cirrhosis: Your liver is very scarred, which means your liver won’t be working as it should. You may feel unwell with symptoms of liver failure. We will refer you to hospital for further tests.

Immigration and fibroscans

If you require a fibroscan for Immigration NZ, your GP or private specialist can request these. You may need to travel. 

Immigration NZ has advised that you can request an extension on your visa application if the department requires a fibroscan or other medical investigations that will take more than two weeks.

Northern:

Auckland Hospital – Immigration fibroscan referrals for all Auckland and Northland DHBs, GPs or private specialists can use their usual e-referral system. This needs to be marked as an Immigration fibroscan. The hospital will invoice you.

Central:

Dr Frank Weilert at Tawa St Clinic, 33 Tawa St, PO Box 6059, Glenview, Hamilton. Phone (07) 843 0017. This needs to be marked as an Immigration fibroscan. The clinic will invoice you.