Trending
HUNTINGDON -- Penn Highlands Huntingdon has expanded its diagnostic imaging services with the addition of ultrasound liver elastography, a noninvasive technology used to detect, evaluate and monitor liver disease.
The technology measures the stiffness and elasticity of liver tissue by tracking the speed of sound waves as they pass through the organ. Because damaged liver tissue becomes stiffer over time, the exam can help physicians assess disease progression and monitor a patient’s response to treatment.
Hospital officials said the imaging technology can aid in the diagnosis and management of a variety of liver conditions, including inflammation, fatty liver disease, fibrosis, cirrhosis and liver cancer.
“Liver disease often progresses without symptoms in its early stages,” Desiree Reed, manager of radiology at Penn Highlands Huntingdon, said in a statement. “This technology allows us to catch liver changes, stiffness and inflammation much earlier and in a non-invasive way.”
Penn Highlands Huntingdon said the addition of ultrasound liver elastography expands the hospital’s diagnostic capabilities and provides patients with an alternative to more invasive methods of evaluating liver disease.