Advantage of liver stiffness measurement before and after direct‐acting antiviral therapy to predict hepatocellular carcinoma and exacerbation of esophageal varices in chronic hepatitis C

Aim The risk of development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) persisted in patients with advanced fibrosis, even after achieving sustained virologic response (SVR). This study aimed to show the advantage of liver stiffness measurement (LSM) at baseline and after SVR to predict HCC occurrence and esophageal varices (EV) exacerbation. Methods These risks were evaluated in 398 chronic hepatitis C patients without a history of HCC who achieved SVR after direct‐acting antiviral agent and evaluated LSM at least twice during follow up. We defined liver cirrhosis and chronic hepatitis as LSM of ≥12 kPa and