Velacur

What it measures: fibrosis, steatosis
Who should take it: undiagnosed and diagnosed NAFLD/NASH patients
Where to get it: certain primary care providers, specialty centers, and hospitals; clinical trials 

Velacur is an imaging-based diagnostic test developed by SonicIncytes that looks at liver fibrosis (stiffness, scarring) and steatosis (fat) using ultrasound technology. Velacur can be used to help diagnose and monitor NAFLD/NASH and is a quick and comfortable procedure. Velacur uses technology similar to MRI elastography, using multiple frequency steady-state waves to generate a 3D liver tissue sampling.[1] The images produced are enhanced by machine-learning and multiple clinical studies have demonstrated consistently high correlation to MRI for measuring steatosis and fibrosis.[2]

Your physician or a trained technician perform the procedure on you while you are lying down, placing a gently vibrating pad under the right side of your back and running an ultrasound probe over your ribs to scan your liver. The entire process takes only about 5 minutes and results are immediately available.[3]

Results from a Velacur reading can be seen in the image below. The two main results from the scan are elasticity and attenuation. Elasticity is a measure of fibrosis and attenuation is a measure of steatosis. Together, these scores will allow your provider to diagnose and monitor the severity of your NAFLD/NASH.

In comparison to transient or ultrasound elastography, Velacur’s advantages are deeper tissue measurement, larger tissue sampling, 3D data acquisition, using a single probe for all body types, fewer user readings required, machine-learning enhanced image guidance, and greater comfort.[4] In comparison to other diagnostic tools, Vealcur is the most cost-effective and has the advantage of not requiring pre-approval from insurance.[5]

[1] SonicIncytes, Products, https://www.sonicincytes.com/products/

[2] SonicIncytes, Products, https://www.sonicincytes.com/products/

[3] SonicIncytes, Patient Brochure, https://sonicincytes.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/SI_VelacurBrochure_WEB.pdf

[4] SonicIncytes, Technology, https://www.sonicincytes.com/technology/

[5] SonicIncytes, Products, https://www.sonicincytes.com/products/