Abstract
Chronic liver injury (including the most frequent liver disease worldwide - non-alcoholic fatty liver disease - NAFLD) is accompanied by a scarring process - fibrosis. Fibrosis is driven by chronic inflammation and an altered activity of chemokines and cytokines, resulting in increase of matrix-expressing cell types like myofibroblasts.
This process usually leads to the end-stage of fibrosis - cirrhosis. Recent clinical studies showed that liver fibrogenesis and even cirrhosis may be reverted.
Basic conditions to remodel scar tissue and to revert into a normal liver include the termination of chronic tissue damage, initiation of myofibroblast apoptosis or senescence and fibrinolysis of excess scar tissue. The evaluation of liver fibrosis has been based on liver biopsy previously.
Recently non-invasive methods based on measurement of liver elasticity or serologic markers of fibrosis are implemented into routine praxis.